IP Library Granted Patent US 10,662,415
Granted Patent B2
US 10,662,415 · App. 16/450,780 · Granted May 26, 2020

Engineered biosynthetic pathways for production of (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol by fermentation

Inventors: Cara Ann Tracewell (Walnut Creek, CA); Steven M. Edgar (Albany, CA); Stepan Tymoshenko (Emeryville, CA); Alexander Glennon Shearer (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Zymergen Inc.
C12N9/16C12N1/18C12N9/0006C12N9/0073C12N9/1085C12N9/90C12P7/18C12Y101/01034C12Y114/13152C12Y205/01001C12Y205/0101C12Y301/07011C12Y503/03002
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,662,415
App. No.
16/450,780
Granted
May 26, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure describes the engineering of microbial cells for fermentative production of (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol and provides novel engineered microbial cells and cultures, as well as related (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol production method.

Claims (31)

1. An engineered microbial cell, wherein the engineered microbial cell expresses:

(a) a non-native geranyl diphosphate diphosphatase (geraniol synthase); and

(b) a non-native geraniol-8-hydroxylase;

wherein the engineered microbial cell comprises increased activity of one or more upstream (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol pathway enzyme(s), said increased activity being increased relative to a control cell, the one or more upstream pathway enzymes being selected from the group consisting of ATP-citrate synthase, an acetyl-CoA synthetase, a thiolase, a hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase (HMG-CoA synthase), a hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), a mevalonate kinase, a phosphomevalonate kinase, a diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase, an isopentenyl-diphosphate delta-isomerase, and a geranyl diphosphate synthase; and

wherein, when cultured, the engineered microbial cell produces (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol at a level greater than 10 mg/L of culture medium.

2. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol pathway enzyme(s) comprise the isopentenyl-diphosphate delta-isomerase.

3. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the engineered microbial cell comprises reduced activity of one or more enzyme(s) that consume one or more (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol pathway precursors, said reduced activity being reduced relative to a control cell, the one or more enzyme(s) that consume one or more (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol pathway precursors comprising a bifunctional (2E,6E)-farnesyl diphosphate synthase/dimethylallyltranstransferase and/or a geranyl pyrophosphate synthase.

4. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the engineered microbial cell additionally expresses a feedback-deregulated HMG-CoA reductase.

5. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the engineered microbial cell over-expresses an ATP-citrate synthase and/or an acetyl-CoA synthetase to increase availability of acetyl-CoA, relative to a control cell, and/or comprises an inactivated or deleted gene selected from the group consisting of Pdc5, Pdc6, and Pdc1 to reduce the rate of acetyl-CoA consumption, relative to a control cell.

6. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the engineered microbial cell comprises a fungal cell.

7. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the non-native geraniol synthase comprises a geraniol synthase having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity with a geraniol synthase from Perilla setoyensis comprising SEQ ID NO:5.

8. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the non-native geraniol synthase comprises a geraniol synthase having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity with a geraniol synthase from Vitis vinifera comprising SEQ ID NO:97.

9. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the non-native geraniol-8-hydroxylase comprises a geraniol-8-hydroxylase having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity with a geraniol-8-hydroxylase from Phaseolus angularis comprising SEQ ID NO:11.

10. The engineered microbial cell of claim 2 , wherein the increased activity of the isopentenyl-diphosphate delta-isomerase is achieved by heterologously expressing an isopentenyl-diphosphate delta-isomerase.

11. The engineered microbial cell of claim 10 , wherein the heterologous isopentenyl-diphosphate delta-isomerase comprises an isopentenyl-diphosphate delta-isomerase having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity with an isopentenyl-diphosphate delta-isomerase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae comprising SEQ ID NO:25.

12. The engineered microbial cell of claim 3 , wherein the one or more enzyme(s) that consume one or more (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol pathway precursors comprise a bifunctional (2E,6E)-farnesyl diphosphate synthase/dimethylallyltranstransferase.

13. The engineered microbial cell of claim 12 , wherein the bifunctional (2E,6E)-farnesyl diphosphate synthase/dimethylallyltranstransferase dimethylallyltranstransferase comprises amino acid substitution S80F and has at least 70% amino acid sequence identity with a bifunctional (2E,6E)-farnesyl diphosphate synthase/dimethylallyltranstransferase from Escherichia coli comprising SEQ ID NO:85.

14. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein, when cultured, the engineered microbial cell produces (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol at a level greater than 50 mg/L of culture medium.

15. A culture of engineered microbial cells according to claim 1 .

16. The culture of claim 15 , wherein the culture comprises (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol at a level greater than 10 mg/L of culture medium.

17. A method of culturing engineered microbial cells according to claim 1 , the method comprising culturing the cells under conditions suitable for producing (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the method additionally comprises recovering (6E)-8-hydroxygeraniol from the culture.

19. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream pathway enzymes comprises ATP-citrate synthase.

20. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream pathway enzymes comprises an acetyl-CoA synthetase.

21. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream pathway enzymes comprises a thiolase.

22. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream pathway enzymes comprises a hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase (HMG-CoA synthase).

23. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream pathway enzymes comprises a hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase).

24. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream pathway enzymes comprises a mevalonate kinase.

25. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream pathway enzymes comprises a phosphomevalonate kinase.

26. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream pathway enzymes comprises a diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase.

27. The engineered microbial cell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more upstream pathway enzymes comprises a geranyl diphosphate synthase.

Assignments (2)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 1, 2022
From: PERCEPTIVE CREDIT HOLDINGS II, LP, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: ZYMERGEN INC.
Reel/Frame 060421/0533 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 26, 2019
From: ZYMERGEN INC.
To: PERCEPTIVE CREDIT HOLDINGS II, LP, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 051425/0485 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation PCTUS2018064351 · Dec 6, 2018
Provisional Application 62596013 · Dec 7, 2017
Related Publication 20190338259A1 · Nov 7, 2019