IP Library Granted Patent US 11,034,967
Granted Patent B2
US 11,034,967 · App. 15/639,152 · Granted Jun 15, 2021

Methods for the improvement of product yield and production in a microorganism through the addition of alternate electron acceptors

Inventors: Aaron Argyros (White River Junction, VT); William Ryan Sillers (Lebanon, NH); Trisha Barrett (Bradford, VT); Nicky Caiazza (Lebanon, NH); Arthur J. Shaw, IV (Grantham, NH)
Assignee: Lallemand Hungary Liquidity Management LLC
C12N15/81C12N9/0006C12N9/0008C12N9/1029C12P7/10C12P7/40C12Y102/0101C12Y203/01054Y02E50/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,034,967
App. No.
15/639,152
Granted
Jun 15, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention provides for novel metabolic pathways to reduce or eliminate glycerol production and increase product formation. More specifically, the invention provides for a recombinant microorganism comprising a deletion of one or more native enzymes that function to produce glycerol and/or regulate glycerol synthesis and one or more native and/or heterologous enzymes that function in one or more engineered metabolic pathways to convert a carbohydrate source, such as lignocellulose, to a product, such as ethanol, wherein the one or more native and/or heterologous enzymes is activated, upregulated, or downregulated. The invention also provides for a recombinant microorganism comprising one or more heterologous enzymes that function to regulate glycerol synthesis and one or more native and/or heterologous enzymes that function in one or more engineered metabolic pathways to convert a carbohydrate source to ethanol, wherein said one or more native and/or heterologous enzymes is activated, upregulated or downregulated.

Claims (35)

1. A recombinant yeast comprising:

(a) one or more native enzymes that function to produce glycerol and/or regulate glycerol synthesis, wherein said one or more enzymes is encoded by a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd1), glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd2), glycerol 3-phosphatase 1, glycerol 3-phosphatase 2, or fps1 polynucleotide; and

(b) an engineered metabolic pathway comprising a pyruvate formate lysase that converts pyruvate to acetyl-CoA and formate, wherein said metabolic pathway further comprises conversion of acetyl-CoA to ethanol by an acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and an alcohol dehydrogenase or by a bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase, and

(c) an engineered metabolic pathway comprising conversion of a carbohydrate source to one or more sugar units by a saccharolytic enzyme,

wherein said pyruvate formate lyase, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase are heterologous, and

wherein said recombinant yeast exhibit reduced glycerol production in an ethanol-producing fermentation process compared to a corresponding wild-type yeast.

2. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of acetyl-CoA to acetaldehyde by an acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, and conversion of said acetaldehyde to ethanol by an alcohol dehydrogenase.

3. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of acetyl-CoA to ethanol by a bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase.

4. The recombinant yeast of claim 2 , further comprising a deletion of one or more native enzymes encoded by an fdh1 polynucleotide, an fdh 2 polynucleotide, or both an fdh1 polynucleotide and an fdh2 polynucleotide.

5. The recombinant yeast of claim 3 , further comprising a deletion of one or more native enzymes encoded by an fdh1 polynucleotide, an fdh 2 polynucleotide, or both an fdh1 polynucleotide and an fdh2 polynucleotide.

6. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said pyruvate formate lyase is from one or more of a Bifidobacteria , a Thermoanaerobacter , a Clostridia , a Streptococcus , a Lactobacillus , a Chalamydomonas , a Piromyces , a Neocallimastix , or a Bacillus species.

7. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said pyruvate formate lyase is from one or more of a Bacillus licheniformis , a Streptococcus thermophilus , a Lactobacillus plantarum , a Lactobacillus casei , a Bifidobacterium adolescentis , a Clostridium cellulolyticum , a Chalmydomonas reinhardtii PflA, a Piromyces sp. E2, or a Neocallimastix frontalis.

8. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said pyruvate formate lyase is from a Bifidobacterium adolescentis.

9. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said acetaldehyde dehydrogenase is from a C. phytofermentans.

10. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase is from a Clostridia , a Chlamydomonas , a Piromyces , or a Bifidobacteria species.

11. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase is from a Clostridium phytofermentans, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Piromyces sp. E2, or Bifidobacterium adolescentis.

12. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase is from a Bifidobacterium adolescentis or Piromyces sp. E2.

13. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said saccharolytic enzyme is from a microorganism selected from the group consisting of H grisea, T aurantiacus, T. emersonii, T. reesei, C. lacteus, C. formosanus, N takasagoensis, C. acinaciformis, M. darwinensis, N. walkeri, C. luckowense, R. speratus, Thermobifida fusca, Clostridium thermocellum, Clostridium cellulolyticum, Clostridium josui, Bacillus pumilis, Cellulomonas fimi, Saccharophagus degradans, Piromyces equii, Neocallimastix patricarum, Arabidopsis thaliana , and S. fibuligera.

14. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said yeast is selected from the group consisting of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces lactis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Pichia pastoris, Yarrowia lipolytica, Hansenula polymorpha, Phaffia rhodozyma, Candida utlilis, Arxula adeninivorans, Pichia stipitis, Debaryomyces hansenii, Debaryomyces polymorphus, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Candida albicans , and Schwanniomyces occidentals,

wherein said pyruvate formate lyase is from one or more of a Bacillus lichenVormis , a Streptococcus thermophilus , a Lactobacillus plantarum , a Lactobacillus casei , a Bifidobacterium adolescentis , a Clostridium cellulolyticum , a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii PflA, a Piromyces sp. E2, or a Neocallimastix frontalis , and

wherein said bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase is from a Clostridium phytofermentans, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Piromyces sp. E2, or Bifidobacterium adolescentis.

15. The recombinant yeast of claim 14 , wherein said saccharolytic enzyme is from a microorganism selected from the group consisting of H grisea, T aurantiacus, T emersonii, T reesei, C. lacteus, C. formosanus, N. takasagoensis, C. acinaciformis, M darwinensis, N. walkeri, C. luckowense R. speratus, Thermobifida fusca, Clostridium thermocellum, Clostridium cellulolyticum, Clostridiumjosui, Bacillus pumilis, Cellulomonas fimi, Saccharophagus degradans, Piromyces equii, Neocallimastix patricarum, Arabidopsis thaliana , and S. fibuligera.

16. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein said pyruvate formate lyase is from a Bifidobacterium adolescentis , and said bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase is from a Bifidobacterium adolescentis.

17. The recombinant yeast of claim 16 , wherein said saccharolytic enzyme is from S. fibuligera , wherein said pyruvate formate lyase is from a Bifidobacterium adolescentis , and said bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase is from a Bifidobacterium adolescentis.

18. The recombinant yeast of claim 14 , further comprising a deletion of one or more native enzymes encoded by both an fdh1 polynucleotide and an fdh2 polynucleotide.

19. The recombinant yeast of claim 17 , further comprising a deletion of one or more native enzymes encoded by both an fdh1 polynucleotide and an fdh2 polynucleotide.

20. The recombinant yeast of claim 1 , wherein one of said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of xylose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a Xylose isomerase and/or conversion of arabinose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a L-arabinose isomerase, a ribulokinase or a L-ribulose-5-phosphate 4-epimerase.

21. The recombinant yeast of claim 2 , wherein one of said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of xylose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a Xylose isomerase and/or conversion of arabinose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a L-arabinose isomerase, a ribulokinase or a L-ribulose-5-phosphate 4-epimerase.

22. The recombinant yeast of claim 3 , wherein one of said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of xylose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a Xylose isomerase and/or conversion of arabinose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a L-arabinose isomerase, a ribulokinase or a L-ribulose-5-phosphate 4-epimerase.

23. The recombinant yeast of claim 4 , wherein one of said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of xylose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a Xylose isomerase and/or conversion of arabinose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a L-arabinose isomerase, a ribulokinase or a L-ribulose-5-phosphate 4-epimerase.

24. The recombinant yeast of claim 5 , wherein one of said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of xylose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a Xylose isomerase and/or conversion of arabinose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a L-arabinose isomerase, a ribulokinase or a L-ribulose-5-phosphate 4-epimerase.

25. The recombinant yeast of 14 , wherein one of said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of xylose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a Xylose isomerase and/or conversion of arabinose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a L-arabinose isomerase, a ribulokinase or a L-ribulose-5-phosphate 4-epimerase.

26. The recombinant yeast of 15 , wherein one of said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of xylose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a Xylose isomerase and/or conversion of arabinose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a L-arabinose isomerase, a ribulokinase or a L-ribulose-5-phosphate 4-epimerase.

27. The recombinant yeast of 16 , wherein one of said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of xylose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a Xylose isomerase and/or conversion of arabinose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a L-arabinose isomerase, a ribulokinase or a L-ribulose-5-phosphate 4-epimerase.

28. The recombinant yeast of 17 , wherein one of said engineered metabolic pathways comprises conversion of xylose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a Xylose isomerase and/or conversion of arabinose to xylulose-5-phosphate by a L-arabinose isomerase, a ribulokinase or a L-ribulose-5-phosphate 4-epimerase.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 26, 2024
From: LALLEMAND HUNGARY LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT LLC
To: DANSTAR FERMENT AG
Reel/Frame 068174/0430 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 13, 2020
From: ARGYROS, AARON; SILLERS, WILLIAM RYAN; BARRETT, TRISHA; CAIAZZA, NICKY; SHAW, ARTHTUR J., IV
To: MASCOMA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 054361/0937 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 13, 2020
From: MASCOMA CORPORATION
To: LALLEMAND HUNGARY LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT LLC
Reel/Frame 054362/0065 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 13, 2020
From: LALLEMAND HUNGARY LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT LLC
To: LALLEMAND HUNGARY LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT LLC
Reel/Frame 054414/0095 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 14624163 · Feb 17, 2015
Continuation 14110075
Provisional Application 61472085 · Apr 5, 2011
Related Publication 20170356000A1 · Dec 14, 2017