Fermentive production of four carbon alcohols

1. A recombinant microbial host cell comprising heterologous DNA molecules encoding polypeptides that catalyze substrate to product conversions for each step below:

i) pyruvate to acetolactate;

ii) acetolactate to 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate;

iii) 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate to a-ketoisovalerate; and

iv) a-ketoisovalerate to isobutyraldehyde; wherein said microbial host cell produces isobutanol;

and wherein

a) the polypeptide that catalyzes a substrate to product conversion of pyruvate to acetolactate is acetolactate synthase having the EC number 2.2.1.6;

b) the polypeptide that catalyzes a substrate to product conversion of acetolactate to 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate is acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase having the EC number 1.1.1.86;

c) the polypeptide that catalyzes a substrate to product conversion of 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate to a-ketoisovalerate is acetohydroxy acid dehydratase having the EC number 4.2.1.9;

d) the polypeptide that catalyzes a substrate to product conversion of aketoisovalerate to isobutyraldehyde is branched-chain a-keto acid decarboxylase having the EC number 4.1.1.72;

wherein

1) the host cell expresses the heterologous DNA molecules encoding the polypeptides of (a)-(d) having said EC numbers in amounts sufficient for the polypeptides to catalyze said substrate to product conversions to produce isobutanol by expression of the isobutanol biosynthetic pathway,

2) the host cell using glucose as a carbon source is capable of producing more isobutanol for blending with fossil fuel than a corresponding control host cell not expressing the heterologous DNA molecules of said isobutanol biosynthetic pathway, wherein isobutanol production is measured as the number of moles of isobutanol produced per mole of glucose used, and

3) the polypeptides of a) to d) that catalyze said substrate to product conversions lack a mitochondrial targeting sequence when the host cell is a yeast.

2. The recombinant microbial host cell of claim 1 , wherein said host cell comprises at least one DNA molecule encoding a polypeptide that catalyzes conversion of isobutyraldehyde to isobutanol wherein said polypeptide is a branched-chain alcohol dehydrogenase having the EC number of 1.1.1.1, 1.1.1.2, or 1.1.1.265.

3. A method for the production of isobutanol comprising: 1) providing the recombinant microbial host cell of claim 1 ; and 2) contacting the host cell of 1) with a fermentable carbon substrate in a fermentation medium under conditions whereby isobutanol is produced.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising 3) recovering the isobutanol.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

providing the isobutanol recovered in step 3), wherein fusel oils are also recovered with the isobutanol to produce a fuel additive; and

blending the fuel additive with fossil fuel to provide a biofuel.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the recovered isobutanol is provided as a chemical feedstock for industrial chemical applications.

7. The recombinant microbial host cell of claim 1 , wherein the cell is a member of a genus selected from the group consisting of Clostridium, Zymomonas, Escherichia, Salmonella, Rhodococcus, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Alcaligenes, Klebsiella, Paenibacillus, Arthrobacter, Corynebacterium, Brevibacterium, Pichia, Candida, Hansenula and Saccharomyces.

8. The recombinant microbial host cell of claim 7 , wherein the cell is a member of the genus Saccharomyces.

9. The recombinant microbial host cell of claim 1 , wherein the cell is an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

10. The recombinant microbial host cell of claim 1 , wherein two or more polypeptides of a) to d) are encoded by chimeric genes.

11. A recombinants microbial host cell comprising an engineered isobutanol biosynthetic pathway, wherein said pathway comprises the following substrate to product conversions:

i) pyruvate to acetolactate (pathway step a);

ii) the acetolactate from i. to 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate (pathway step b);

iii) the 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate from ii. to α-ketoisovalerate (pathway step c);

iv) the α-ketoisovalerate from iii. to isobutyraldehyde (pathway step d); and

v) the isobutyraldehyde from iv. to isobutanol (pathway step e);

and wherein

a) the substrate to product conversion of step i) is performed by an acetolactate synthase enzyme having the EC number 2.2.1.6;

b) the substrate to product conversion of step ii) is performed by an acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase enzyme having the EC number 1.1.1.86;

c) the substrate to product conversion of step iii) is performed by an acetohydroxy acid dehydratase enzyme having the EC number 4.2.1.9;

d) the substrate to product conversion of step iv) is performed by a branched chain α-keto acid decarboxylase enzyme having the EC number 4.1.1.72; and

e) the substrate to product conversion of step v) is performed by an alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme having the EC number 1.1.1.1;

whereby

1) at least three of the enzymes of a) to e) are recombinantly expressed in amounts sufficient for the enzymes to catalyze said substrate to product conversions to produce isobutanol by expression of the engineered isobutanol biosynthetic pathway,

2) the recombinant host cell using glucose, sucrose, one-carbon or two-carbon substrates, is capable of producing more isobutanol than the corresponding control host cell that does not recombinantly express such enzymes of the engineered isobutanol biosynthetic pathway, wherein isobutanol production is measured as the number of moles of isobutanol produced per mole of carbon substrate used,

3) the recombinantly expressed enzymes of a) to e) that catalyze said substrate to product conversions lack a mitochondrial targeting sequence, and

4) the recombinant host cell is capable of producing isobutanol from a carbon substrate through the substrate to product conversions of steps i)-v).

12. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein said acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase enzyme is derived from E. coli, B. subtilis, S. cerevisiae , or M. maripaludis.

13. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein said acetohydroxy acid dehydratase enzyme is derived from E. coli, B. subtilis, S. cerevisiae , or M. maripaludis.

14. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein said branched-chain α-keto acid decarboxylase is derived from L. lactis, S. typhimurium , or C. acetobutylicum.

15. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein said branched-chain α-keto acid decarboxylase is derived from L. lactis.

16. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein said alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme of step e) is derived from S. cerevisiae.

17. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein said alcohol dehydrogenase of e) is recombinantly expressed in amounts sufficient for catalyzing said substrate to product conversion of (v).

18. The recombinant host cell of claim 17 , wherein said alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme is derived from E. coli or C. acetobutylicum.

19. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase enzyme has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:183, or SEQ ID NO:185.

20. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the acetohydroxy acid dehydratase enzyme has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:188, or SEQ ID NO:190.

21. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the branched-chain α-keto acid decarboxylase enzyme has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:193, SEQ ID NO:195, or SEQ ID NO:197.

22. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the branched-chain α-keto acid decarboxylase enzyme has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:193.

23. The recombinant host cell of claim 17 , wherein the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:199, SEQ ID NO:201, SEQ ID NO:203, or SEQ ID NO:204.

24. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase enzyme is encoded by a gene comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:182.

25. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the acetohydroxy acid dehydratase enzyme is encoded by a gene comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:187, or SEQ ID NO:189.

26. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the branched-chain α-keto acid decarboxylase enzyme is encoded by a gene comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:191, SEQ ID NO:192, SEQ ID NO:194, or SEQ ID NO:196.

27. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein two or more enzymes of a) to d) are encoded by chimeric genes.

28. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the cell is a member of a genus selected from the group consisting of Pichia, Candida, Hansenula and Saccharomyces.

29. The recombinants host cell of claim 28 , wherein the cell is a member of the genus Saccharomyces.

30. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the cell is an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

31. The recombinant host cell of claim 11 , wherein the cell is an engineered methylotrophic organism capable of converting a carbons substrate selected form the group consisting of methanol, methylamine, and glucosamine, to isobutanol.