IP Library Granted Patent US 11,306,333
Granted Patent B2
US 11,306,333 · App. 16/152,354 · Granted Apr 19, 2022

Wood-Ljungdahl microorganisms that produce polyhydroxybutyrate

Inventors: Ryan Christopher Tappel (Skokie, IL); James Bruce Yarnton Haycock Behrendorff (Copenhagen, DK); Michael Koepke (Skokie, IL); Esteban Marcellin (St. Lucia, AU); Renato de Souza Pinto Lemgruber (St. Lucia, AU); Kaspar Valgepea (St. Lucia, AU); Lars Nielsen (St. Lucia, AU)
Assignee: LanzaTech, Inc.
C12P7/625C12N9/0006C12N9/1029C12Y101/01036C12Y101/01157C12Y203/01C12Y203/01009
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,306,333
App. No.
16/152,354
Granted
Apr 19, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention provides microorganisms and methods for the production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) from gaseous substrates. In particular, the invention provides a non-naturally occurring Wood-Ljungdahl microorganism comprising (a) an enzyme that converts acetyl-CoA to acetoacetyl-CoA, (b) an enzyme that converts acetoacetyl-CoA to 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, and (c) an enzyme that converts 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA to polyhydroxybutyrate, and methods related thereto.

Claims (20)

1. A non-naturally occurring Wood-Ljungdahl microorganism capable of producing polyhydroxybutyrate comprising:

a. a nucleic acid encoding a heterologous acetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.9) enzyme that converts acetyl-CoA to acetoacetyl-CoA,

b. a nucleic acid encoding a heterologous acetoacetyl-CoA reductase (EC 1.1.1.36) or a nucleic acid encoding a heterologous 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.157) enzyme that converts acetoacetyl-CoA to 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, and

c. a nucleic acid encoding a heterologous polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase (EC 2.3.1.-) enzyme that converts 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA to polyhydroxybutyrate.

2. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the acetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase is derived from a parental microorganism selected from the group consisting of Acinetobacter baumannii, Aeromonas hydrophilia, Alcaligenes latus, Arthrospira platensis, Bacillus subtilis, Burkholderia cepacia, Clostridium acetobutylicum, Cupriavidus necator, Escherichia coli, Haloferax mediterranei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas mandelii, Pseudomonas oleovorans, Pseudomonas putida , and Streptomyces coelicolor.

3. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the acetoacetyl-CoA reductase is derived from a parental microorganism selected from the group consisting of Acinetobacter baumannii, Aeromonas hydrophilia, Alcaligenes latus, Arthrospira platensis, Bacillus subtilis, Burkholderia cepacia, Cupriavidus necator, Haloferax mediterranei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas mandelii, Pseudomonas oleovorans, Pseudomonas putida , and Streptomyces coelicolor.

4. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase is derived from Clostridium beijerinckii, Clostridium acetobutylicum , or Clostridium kluyveri.

5. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase is derived from a parental microorganism selected from the group consisting of Acinetobacter baumannii, Aeromonas caviae, Aeromonas hydrophilia, Alcaligenes latus, Arthrospira platensis, Bacillus subtilis, Burkholderia cepacia, Cupriavidus necator, Haloferax mediterranei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas mandelii, Pseudomonas oleovorans, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas sp. 61-3, Rhodospirillum rubrum , and Streptomyces coelicolor.

6. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is a member of a genus selected from the group consisting of Acetobacterium, Alkalibaculum, Blautia, Butyribacterium, Clostridium, Eubacterium, Moorella, Oxobacter, Sporomusa , and Thermoanaerobacter.

7. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is derived from a parental microorganism selected from the group consisting of Acetobacterium woodii, Alkalibaculum bacchii, Blautia producta, Butyribacterium methylotrophicum, Clostridium aceticum, Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium carboxidivorans, Clostridium coskatii, Clostridium drakei, Clostridium formicoaceticum, Clostridium ljungdahlii, Clostridium magnum, Clostridium ragsdalei, Clostridium scatologenes, Eubacterium limosum, Moorella thermautotrophica, Moorella thermoacetica, Oxobacter pfennigii, Sporomusa ovata, Sporomusa silvacetica, Sporomusa sphaeroides , and Thermoanaerobacter kiuvi.

8. The microorganism of claim 7 , wherein the microorganism is derived from a parental bacterium selected from the group consisting of Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium coskatii, Clostridium ljungdahlii , and Clostridium ragsdalei.

9. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism consumes gaseous substrates comprising one or more of CO, CO 2 , and H 2 .

10. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is anaerobic.

11. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is not capable of degrading polyhydroxybutyrate.

12. The microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is not phototrophic, photosynthetic, or methanotrophic.

13. A method of producing polyhydroxybutyrate comprising culturing the microorganism of claim 1 in the presence of a gaseous substrate, whereby the microorganism produces polyhydroxybutyrate.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the gaseous substrate comprises one or more of CO, CO 2 , and H 2 .

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the culturing is performed under anaerobic conditions.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the culturing is performed in the absence of carbohydrate substrates.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the culturing is performed in the absence of light.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 15, 2019
From: TAPPEL, RYAN CHRISTOPHER; BEHRENDORFF, JAMES BRUCE YARNTON HAYCOCK; KOEPKE, MICHAEL
To: LANZATECH, INC.
Reel/Frame 049181/0858 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 15, 2019
From: MARCELLIN, ESTEBAN; LEMGRUBER, RENADO DE SOUZA PINTO; VALGEPEA, KASPAR; NIELSEN, LARS
To: THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
Reel/Frame 049182/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 15, 2019
From: THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
To: LANZATECH, INC.
Reel/Frame 049182/0069 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62568127 · Oct 4, 2017
Related Publication 20190119706A1 · Apr 25, 2019