Recombinant microorganisms having a methanol elongation cycle (MEC)

1. A recombinant E. coli comprising a metabolic pathway for the synthesis of acetyl phosphate from formaldehyde using a pathway comprising:

(i)(a) a hexulose-6-phosphate synthase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:14 and catalyzes the formation of hexulose-6-phosphate from formaldehyde and ribulose-5-phosphate, or (b) dihydroxyacetone synthase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:18 and catalyze the formation of dihydroxyacetone and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate from xylulose-5-phosphate and formaldehyde; and

(ii)(a) a hexulose-6-phosphate isomerase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:16 and catalyzes the formation of fructose-6-phosphate from hexulose-6-phosphate, or (b) fructose-6-phosphate aldolase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:20 and catalyzes the formation of fructose-6-phosphate from glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone; and

(iii) a transaldolase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:10 and catalyzes the formation of sedoheptulose-7-phosphate from fructose-6-phosphate and erythrose-4-phosphate;

(iv) a transketolase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:12 and catalyzes the formation of ribose-5-phosphate and xylulose-5-phosphate from sedoheptulose-7-phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and/or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate from xylulose-5-phosphate and erythrose-4-phosphate;

(v) ribose-5-phosphate isomerase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:8 and catalyzes the formation of ribulose-5-phosphate from ribose-5-phosphate; and

(vi) a ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:6 and catalyzes the formation of xylulose 5-phosphate from ribulose-5-phosphate; and

(vii) an enzyme having phosphoketolase activity having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:2 and catalyzes the formation of acetyl-phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate or erythrose-4-phosphate from xylulose 5-phosphate or fructose 6-phosphate,

wherein the prokaryotic microorganism has an acetyl-phosphate yield better than a wild-type or parental prokaryotic organism, and wherein the conversion of formaldehyde to acetyl-phosphate using the pathway has minimal to no carbon loss.

2. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the E. coli is engineered to express a phosphoketolase.

3. The recombinant E. coli of claim 2 , wherein the phosphoketolase is Fpk, Xpk or a bifunctional F/Xpk enzyme.

4. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the prokaryotic microorganism is engineered to heterologously expresses one or more of the following enzymes:

(a) a phosphoketolase;

(b) a transaldolase;

(c) a transketolase;

(d) a ribose-5-phosphate isomerase;

(e) a ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase;

(f) a hexulose-6-phosphate synthase;

(g) a hexulose-6-phosphate isomerase;

(h) a dihydroxyacetone synthase; and

(i) a fructose-6-phosphate aldolase.

5. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the E. coli is engineered to express a phosphoketolase obtained from Bifidobaceterium adolescentis.

6. The recombinant E. coli of claim 5 , wherein the phosphoketolase is a bifunctional F/Xpk.

7. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the E. coli is engineered to express or over express a hexulose-6-phosphate synthase.

8. The recombinant E. coli of claim 7 , wherein the hexulose-6-phosphate synthase is Hps.

9. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is engineered to express or over express a hexulose-6-phosphate isomerase.

10. The recombinant E. coli of claim 9 , wherein the hexulose-6-phosphate isomerase is Phi.

11. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the E. coli expresses, or is further recombinantly engineered to express or engineered to overexpress an alcohol oxidase.

12. The recombinant E. coli of claim 11 , wherein the alcohol oxidase is Aox.

13. The recombinant E. coli of claim 11 , wherein the alcohol oxidase has at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:22 and has alcohol oxidase activity.

14. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is further engineered to have a reduction or knockout of expression of one or more of lactate dehydrogenase (IdhA), fumarate reductase iron-sulfur and anchor subunit (frdBC), aldehyde-alcohol dehydrogenase E (adhE), acetated kinase (ackA), pyruvate lyase (pflB), formaldehyde dehydrogenase (frmA), s-formylglutathione hydrolase (frmB/yeiG) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapA).

15. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is further engineered to produce isobutanol or n-butanol.

16. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism further comprises a reduction or knockout of the expression of one or more enzymes selected from the group consisting of: a pyruvate decarboxylase and a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

17. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is further engineered to produce isobutanol or n-butanol.

18. The recombinant E. coli of claim 1 ,

wherein the hexulose-6-phosphate synthase is Hps from Bacillus subtilis or Hps from Methylococcus Capsulatus,

wherein the dihydroxyacetone synthase is Das from Candida boindii,

wherein the hexulose-6-phosphate isomerase is Phi from Methylobacillus flagellatus or Phi from Methylococcus Capsulatus,

wherein the fructose-6-phosphate aldolase Fsa is from Salmonella enterica,

wherein the transaldolase is Tal from Escherichia Coli,

wherein the transketolase is Tkt from Escherichia Coli,

wherein the ribose-5-phosphate isomerase is Rpi from Escherichia Coli,

wherein the ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase is Rpe from Escherichia Coli , and

wherein the enzyme having phosphoketolase activity is F/Xpk from Bifidobacterium adolescentis.