The present invention provides an
improved method for the biological production of 1,3-
propanediol from a fermentable
carbon source in a single
microorganism. In one aspect of the present invention, an improved process for the conversion of glucose to 1,3-
propanediol is achieved by the use of an E. coli transformed with the
Klebsiella pneumoniae dha
regulon genes dhaR, orfY, dhaT, orfX, orfW, dhaB1, dhaB2, dhaB3, and orfZ, all these genes arranged in the same genetic organization as found in
wild type Klebsiella pneumoniae. In another aspect of the present invention, an improved process for the production of 1,3-
propanediol from glucose using a recombinant E. coli containing genes encoding a G3PDH, a G3P
phosphatase, a
dehydratase, and a
dehydratase reactivation factor compared to an identical process using a recombinant E. coli containing genes encoding a G3PDH, a G3P
phosphatase, a
dehydratase, a dehydratase reactivation factor and a 1,3-
propanediol oxidoreductase (dhaT). The dramatically improved process relies on the presence in E. coli of a
gene encoding a non-specific catalytic activity sufficient to convert 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde to 1,3-propanediol.