Process for producing an organic compound and an intermediary compound
A process of producing an organic compound and/or an intermediary compound by feeding carbon dioxide to a culture of Cyanobacteria cells and subjecting the culture to light, wherein the cells are capable of expressing a nucleic acid molecule that confers the ability to convert a glycolytic intermediate into said organic/intermediary compound. The expression of the nucleic acid molecule is under the control of a regulatory system which responds to a change in the concentration of a nutrient in the culture.
1. A process of producing ethylene and succinate, comprising feeding carbon dioxide to a culture of cyanobacterial cells and subjecting said culture to light,
wherein said cyanobacterial cells express a nucleic acid molecule encoding at least one enzyme that confers on the cells an ability to convert a glycolytic intermediate into ethylene and succinate,
wherein said nucleic acid molecule is under the control of a regulatory system which responds to a change in the concentration of a nutrient in said culture, and
wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 92 or the nucleic acid molecule encodes for at least one enzyme having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 91.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said at least one enzyme is not sensitive towards oxygen inactivation.
3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the regulatory system responds to a change in concentration of a nutrient in said culture.
4. The process of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the ethylene and succinate is separated from the culture.
5. A Cyanobacterium that expresses a nucleic acid molecule encoding at least one enzyme that confers on the Cyanobacterium an ability to convert a glycolytic intermediate into ethylene and succinate,
wherein the nucleic acid molecule is under the control of a regulatory system which responds to a change in the concentration of a nutrient when culturing said Cyanobacterium, and
wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 92 or the nucleic acid molecule encodes for at least one enzyme having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 91.
6. The Cyanobacterium of claim 5 , wherein
the glycolytic intermediate is alpha-oxyglutarate.
7. The Cyanobacterium of claim 5 , wherein the regulatory system responds to a change in concentration of a nutrient.
8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid molecule is integrated into the cyanobacterial genome.
9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the cyanobacterial cells are of the genus Synechococcus.
10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the cyanobacterial cells are Synechocystis PCC 6803.
11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the nutrient is ammonium.
12. The Cyanobacterium of claim 5 , wherein the nucleic acid molecule is integrated into the Cyanobacterium genome.
13. The Cyanobacterium of claim 5 , wherein the Cyanobacterium is of the genus Synechococcus.
14. The Cyanobacterium of claim 5 , wherein the Cyanobacterium is Synechocystis PCC 6803.
15. The Cyanobacterium of claim 4 , wherein the nutrient is ammonium.