Patent ID: 7135316

Claim:
A method for producing poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate, said method comprising: (i) isolating a nucleic acid encoding the proteins responsible for poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate synthesis from Streptomyces aureofaciens NRRL2209 comprising β-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, and PHB synthase, wherein the nucleic acid comprises SEQ ID NO:1, (ii) cloning said nucleic acid into a plasmid vector to obtain a recombinant vector, (iii) transforming Escherichia coli with said recombinant vector to obtain recombinant Escherichia coli which expresses said proteins responsible for poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate synthesis, (iv) culturing said recombinant Escherichia coli in a conventional medium comprising glycerol and one or more substrates and (v) recovering said poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate.