Microorganisms for producing propylene and methods related thereto

1. A non-naturally occurring microbial organism, comprising a microbial organism having a propylene pathway comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a propylene pathway enzyme expressed in a sufficient amount to produce propylene; said non-naturally occurring microbial organism further comprising:

(i) a reductive TCA pathway comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a reductive TCA pathway enzyme, wherein said at least one exogenous nucleic acid is selected from an ATP-citrate lyase, citrate lyase, a citryl-CoA synthetase, a citryl-CoA lyase, a fumarate reductase, and an alpha-ketoglutarate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase;

(ii) a reductive TCA pathway comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a reductive TCA pathway enzyme, wherein said at least one exogenous nucleic acid is selected from a pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, a CO dehydrogenase, and an H 2 hydrogenase; or

(iii) at least one exogenous nucleic acid encodes an enzyme selected from a CO dehydrogenase, an H 2 hydrogenase, and combinations thereof;

wherein said propylene pathway comprises a pathway selected from:

(a) a propylene forming enzyme and a 2-ketoglutarate methyltransferase; and

(b) a propylene forming enzyme, a 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-ketoglutarate aldolase, a 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-ketoglutarate dehydratase II, a 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-ketoglutarate dehydratase I, a 4-methylene-2-ketoglutarate reductase, and a 4-methy-2-ketoglutaconate reductase.

2. The non-naturally occurring microbial organism of claim 1 , wherein said microbial organism comprising (i) further comprises an exogenous nucleic acid encoding an enzyme selected from a pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, an aconitase, an isocitrate dehydrogenase, a succinyl-CoA synthetase, a succinyl-CoA transferase, a fumarase, a malate dehydrogenase, an acetate kinase, a phosphotransacetylase, an acetyl-CoA synthetase, an NAD(P)H:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, ferredoxin, and combinations thereof.

3. The non-naturally occurring microbial organism of claim 1 , wherein said microbial organism comprising (ii) further comprises an exogenous nucleic acid encoding an enzyme selected from an aconitase, an isocitrate dehydrogenase, a succinyl-CoA synthetase, a succinyl-CoA transferase, a fumarase, a malate dehydrogenase, and combinations thereof.

4. The non-naturally occurring microbial organism of claim 1 , wherein said microbial organism comprising (i) comprises three exogenous nucleic acids encoding an ATP-citrate lyase or a citrate lyase; a fumarate reductase; and an alpha-ketoglutarate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase;

wherein said microbial organism comprising (ii) comprises four exogenous nucleic acids encoding a pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase; a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase or a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase; a CO dehydrogenase; and an H 2 hydrogenase; or

wherein said microbial organism comprising (iii) comprises two exogenous nucleic acids encoding a CO dehydrogenase and an H 2 hydrogenase.

5. The non-naturally occurring microbial organism of claim 1 , wherein said microbial organism comprises two, three or four exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a propylene pathway enzyme.

6. The non-naturally occurring microbial organism of claim 5 , wherein said microbial organism comprises:

(a) two exogenous nucleic acids encoding a propylene forming enzyme and a 2-ketoglutarate methyltransferase; or

(b) four exogenous nucleic acids encoding a propylene forming enzyme, a 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-ketoglutarate aldolase, a 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-ketoglutarate dehydratase II, a 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-ketoglutarate dehydratase I, a 4-methylene-2-ketoglutarate reductase, and a 4-methy-2-ketoglutaconate reductase.

7. The non-naturally occurring microbial organism of claim 1 , wherein said at least one exogenous nucleic acid is a heterologous nucleic acid.

8. The non-naturally occurring microbial organism of claim 1 , wherein said non-naturally occurring microbial organism is in a substantially anaerobic culture medium.

9. A method for producing propylene, comprising culturing the non-naturally occurring microbial organism of claim 1 under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce propylene.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said non-naturally occurring microbial organism is in a substantially anaerobic culture medium.