IP Library Granted Patent US 12,577,594
Granted Patent B2
US 12,577,594 · App. 17/605,196 · Granted Mar 17, 2026

Engineered microorganisms and methods for improved aldehyde dehydrogenase activity

Inventors: Amit M. Shah (San Diego, CA); Harish Nagarajan (San Diego, CA)
Assignee: Genomatica, Inc.
C12P13/001C12N1/20C12N9/0008C12N9/001C12N9/1096C12N15/52C12N15/70C12P7/18C12P7/40C12P7/44C12P7/62C12P13/005C12P17/08C12P17/10C12Y103/01044C12Y206/01C12Y103/01038
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,577,594
App. No.
17/605,196
Granted
Mar 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed are biosynthetic methods and engineered microorganism that enhance or improve the biosynthesis of hexamethylenediamine, caproic acid or caprolactam. The engineered microorganisms include selected aldehyde dehydrogenase activity.

Claims (16)

1 . A method of producing adipate-semialdehyde comprising culturing a non-naturally occurring microorganism comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme that reacts with adipyl-CoA to form adipate-semialdehyde, wherein

the aldehyde dehydrogenase has greater catalytic efficiency for adipyl-CoA as a substrate as compared to succinyl-CoA, acetyl-CoA, or both as substrates, and/or

the aldehyde dehydrogenase has higher turnover number for adipyl-CoA substrate as compared to succinyl-CoA, acetyl-CoA, or both succinyl-CoA and acetyl-CoA substrates

and wherein the aldehyde dehydrogenase has at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 99%, or 100% amino acid sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 7, 11, 15, 17, 19, 24, 25, 27, 28, 31-33, 36, 38, 40-42, 44, 45, 47, 53, 58-60, 63, 65-67, 74, 75, 77, 80, 82, 84, 86-88, 90, 91, 94, 95, 97, 100, 101, 103, 107, 109, 111, 112, 117, 134, 135, 137, 145, 146, 148-150, 152, 157-159, 164-167, 176, 187, and 188.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: SEQ ID NO: 7, 28, 60, or 107.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-naturally occurring microbial organism comprises a 6 -aminocaproic acid pathway.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the 6-aminocaproic acid pathway comprises: (i) transaminase, (ii) 6-aminocaproate dehydrogenase, or both (iii) transaminase and 6-aminocaproate dehydrogenase enzymes.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-naturally occurring microbial organism comprises two, three, four, five, six, or seven exogenous nucleic acids each encoding an enzyme for a 6-aminocaproic acid pathway, hexamethylenediamine pathway, caprolactam pathway, 1, 6-hexanediol pathway, caprolactone pathway, or a combination of two or more pathways.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the hexamethylenediamine pathway comprises (i) 6-amino caproyl CoA transferase, (ii) 6-amino caproyl CoA synthase, (iii) 6 -amino caproyl CoA reductase, (iv) hexamethylenediamine transaminase, (v) hexamethylenediamine dehydrogenase, (v) or a combination of one or more of the enzymes (i)-(v); and the caprolactam pathway comprises amidohydrolase enzyme.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-naturally occurring microbial organism comprises a species of Acinetobacter, Actinobacillus, Anaerobiospirillum, Aspergillus, Bacillus, Clostridium, Corynebacterium, Escherichia, Gluconobacter, Klebsiella, Kluyveromyces, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Mannheimia, Pichia, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Rhizopus, Saccharomyces, Schizosaccharomyces, Streptomyces , and Zymomonas.

8 . A method of producing adipate-semialdehyde comprising culturing a non-naturally occurring microorganism comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme that reacts with adipyl-CoA to form adipate-semialdehyde, wherein the aldehyde dehydrogenase has at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 99%, or 100% amino acid sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 7, 11, 15, 17, 19, 24, 25, 27, 28, 31-33, 36, 38, 40-42, 44, 45, 47, 53, 58-60, 63, 65-67, 74, 75, 77, 80, 82, 84, 86-88, 90, 91, 94, 95, 97, 100, 101, 103, 107, 109, 111, 112, 117, 134, 135, 137, 145, 146, 148-150, 152, 157-159, 164-167, 176, 187, and 188.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the non-naturally occurring microbial organism comprises a 6-aminocaproic acid pathway.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the 6-aminocaproic acid pathway comprises: (i) transaminase, (ii) 6-aminocaproate dehydrogenase, or both (iii) transaminase and 6-aminocaproate dehydrogenase enzymes.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the non-naturally occurring microbial organism comprises two, three, four, five, six, or seven exogenous nucleic acids each encoding an enzyme for a 6-aminocaproic acid pathway, a hexamethylenediamine pathway, a caprolactam pathway, a 1,6-hexanediol pathway, a caprolactone pathway, or a combination of two or more said pathways.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the hexamethylenediamine pathway comprises (i) 6-amino caproyl CoA transferase, (ii) 6-amino caproyl CoA synthase, (iii) 6-amino caproyl CoA reductase, (iv) hexamethylenediamine transaminase, (v) hexamethylenediamine dehydrogenase, (v) or a combination of one or more of the enzymes (i)-(v); and the caprolactam pathway comprises aminohydrolase enzyme.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the non-naturally occurring microbial organism comprises a species of Acinetobacter, Actinobacillus, Anaerobiospirillum, Aspergillus, Bacillus, Clostridium, Corynebacterium, Escherichia, Gluconobacter, Klebsiella, Kluyveromyces, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Mannheimia, Pichia, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Rhizopus, Saccharomyces, Schizosaccharomyces, Streptomyces , and Zymomonas.

Assignments (4)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 10, 2026
From: GENOMATICA, INC.
To: AGAIN BIO APS
Reel/Frame 074708/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2025
From: GENOMATICA, INC.
To: NOVO HOLDINGS A/S, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 073915/0027 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 2, 2025
From: GENOMATICA, INC.
To: OXFORD FINANCE LLC
Reel/Frame 071471/0770 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 21, 2021
From: SHAH, AMIT M.; NAGARAJAN, HARISH
To: GENOMATICA, INC.
Reel/Frame 057885/0239 →
Continuity (4)
Provisional Application 62860160 · Jun 11, 2019
Provisional Application 62860123 · Jun 11, 2019
Provisional Application 62837888 · Apr 24, 2019
Related Publication 20220235385A1 · Jul 28, 2022
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