86 results about "Xylose Reductase" patented technology

A strain of xylose-utilizing Zymomonas was engineered with a genetic modification to the glucose-fructose oxidoreductase gene resulting in reduced expression of GFOR enzyme activity. The engineered strain exhibits reduced production of xylitol, a detrimental by-product of xylose metabolism. It also consumes more xylose and produces more ethanol during mixed sugar fermentation under process-relevant conditions.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an ethanol producing, xylose utilizing strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae comprising genes for overexpression of xylose reductase, xylitol dehydrogenase and xylulokinase, wherein in addition to said genes for production o phosphoacetyltransferase, and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase are introduced and optionally overexpressed.

Production of ethanol using a strain of xylose-utilizing Zymomonas with a genetic modification of the glucose-fructose oxidoreductase gene was found to be improved due to greatly reduced production of xylitol, a detrimental by-product of xylose metabolism synthesized during fermentation.

Disclosed are xylose-fermenting recombinant yeast strains expressing xylose reductase, xylitol dehydrogenase, and xylulokinase and having reduced expression of PHO13 or a PHO13 ortholog, as well as methods of fermenting xylose to obtain ethanol using the recombinant yeast strains.

Described are recombinant yeast which ferment xylose to ethanol and which maintain their ability to do so when cultured for numerous generations in non-selective media. The preferred yeast contain multiple copies of integrated genes encoding xylose reductase, xylitol dehydrogenase, and xylulokinase fused to promoters which are non-glucose inhibited and which do not require xylose for induction. Also described are preferred methods for integrating multiple copies of exogenous DNA into host cells by transforming cells with replicative / integrative vectors, and then replicating the cells a number of times under selective pressure to promote retention of the vector in subsequent generations. The replicated vectors thus serve to integrate multiple copies of the exogenous DNA into the host cells throughout the replication / selection phase. Thereafter the selective pressure can be removed to promote loss of the vector in subsequent generations, leaving stable integrants of the exogenous DNA.

The present invention relates to further genetic modifications in eukaryotic host cells that have been transformed to express a xylose isomerase that confers the host cell the ability of isomerizing xylose to xylulose. The further genetic modifications are aimed at improving the efficiency of xylose metabolism and include e.g. reduction of unspecific aldose reductase activity, increased xylulose kinase activity and increased flux of the pentose phosphate pathway. The modified host cells of the invention are suitable for the production of a wide variety of fermentation products, including ethanol, in fermentation processes in which a source of xylose or a source of xylose and glucose are used as carbon source.

The present invention relates to a method for obtaining a recombinant yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which ferments lignocellulose raw materials to ethanol, including introducing DNA into a yeast so as to cause the yeast to have introduced genes encoding xylose reductase, xylitol dehydrogenase and xylulokinase.

Genetic recombinant yeast expressing xylose reductase (XR), (wild-type or mutant) xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH), and xylulokinase (XK) and a method for highly efficiently producing ethanol from xylose using the yeast are provided. Pichia stipitis-derived XR and (wild-type or modified-type) XDH genes and Saccharomyces cerevisiae-derived XK gene were introduced via chromosomal integration. Thus, a genetic recombinant yeast having a high xylose fermentation rate, being capable of producing ethanol from xylose in high yields, and having high xylose fermentability in the presence of glucose, as well as a method using the recombinant yeast for highly efficiently producing ethanol from xylose or a saccharified solution from lignocellulose-based biomass are provided. Furthermore, a method for improving the xylose fermentability of the genetic recombinant yeast of the present invention via acclimatization treatment is also provided herein.

A new xylose reductase encoding gene from Neurspora crassa was heterologously expressed in E. coli as a His-tag fusion protein and subsequently purified in high yield. This xylose reductase was shown to have a high turnover rate and catalytic efficiency, high stability at room temperature, broad pH profile, and a preference of NADPH over NADH. This enzyme is utilized in production of xylitol and other sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and also in the metabolic enhancement of organisms used for fermentation of plant biomass into ethanol.