Microorganisms and methods for the continuous co-production of tandem repeat proteins and chemical products from C1-substrates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12371727-B2
Application number	US-202318338958-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2023
Priority date	Jun 21, 2022
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

Microorganisms are genetically engineered to continuously co-produce amino acids, proteins, microbial biomass, chemicals, or any combination thereof by microbial fermentation, particularly by microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate. The microorganisms are C1-fixing. The production of ethylene, microbial biomass, and heterologous tandem repeat proteins can be improved. This can be effected by improved promoters or nutrient limiting means.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A genetically engineered microorganism capable of co-producing at least one heterologous protein, at least one chemical product, and microbial biomass from a gaseous substrate through a gas fermentation process, wherein the at least one heterologous protein is squid ring teeth (SRT) protein having at least 85% sequence identity to an amino acid sequence selected from the following SEQ ID No: 1, SEQ ID. No: 2, and SEQ ID No: 3, and wherein the microorganism is selected from Clostridium and Cupriavidus bacteria.

2. The genetically engineered microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the at least one chemical product is ethylene.

3. The genetically engineered microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the at least one chemical product is terpenes.

4. The genetically engineered microorganism of claim 1 , further comprising a disruptive mutation in one or more genes.

5. A method of co-producing at least one heterologous protein having one or more tandem repeats and at least one chemical product by culturing the genetically engineered microorganism of claim 1 in the presence of a gaseous substrate comprising one or more of CO, CO 2 , and H 2 , wherein the culturing is a continuous fermentation process.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the gaseous substrate comprises a C1-carbon source comprising one or more of CO, CO 2 , and H 2 .

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the gaseous substrate comprises syngas or industrial waste gas.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the chemical product is one or more of ethylene, ethanol, acetone, isopropanol, or any combination thereof.

9. The microbial biomass of claim 1 , further comprising at least one excipient.

10. The microbial biomass of claim 9 , wherein the microbial biomass is suitable as animal feed.

11. The microbial biomass of claim 10 , wherein the animal feed is suitable for feeding to one or more of beef cattle, dairy cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, mules, donkeys, deer, buffalo/bison, llamas, alpacas, reindeer, camels, bantengs, gayals, yaks, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quail, guinea fowl, squabs/pigeons, fish, shrimp, crustaceans, cats, dogs, and rodents.

12. The genetically engineered microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is suitable as a single cell protein (SCP).

13. The genetically engineered microorganism of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is suitable as a cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) platform.

Assignees

• Lanzatech Inc

Inventors

• Simpson Sean Dennis
• Koepke Michael
• Clomburg James Macallister
• Gramling Juniper Dee
• Jones Stephanie Rhianon
• Jung Jaeyoung
• Politano Timothy James

Classifications

• C12P7/065 Primary

  with microorganisms other than yeasts · CPC title

• C07K14/43504

  from invertebrates · CPC title

• C07K14/43586

  from silkworms · CPC title

• C07K14/43568

  from wasps · CPC title

• C12P5/026

  Unsaturated compounds, i.e. alkenes, alkynes or allenes · CPC title