Patent ID: 8372610

Claim:
A recombinant E. coli host cell transformed with: (a) polynucleotides encoding polypeptides having enzymatic activity effective to produce an increased amount of propionyl-CoA in the recombinant E. coli host cell compared to the amount of propionyl-CoA produced in a parental E. coli host cell lacking or having a reduced amount of said enzymatic activity, wherein said polynucleotides encode polypeptides having aspartokinase activity, homoserine dehydrogenase activity, homoserine kinase activity, threonine synthase activity, and threonine deaminase activity, (b) a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase activity that utilizes propionyl-CoA as a substrate and has 80% identity to SEQ ID NO:7, and (c) a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having thioesterase enzyme activity, wherein the recombinant E. coli host cell produces a fatty acid composition comprising odd-number chain length fatty acids and even numbered chain length fatty acids when cultured in the presence of a carbon source under conditions effective to express the polynucleotides according to (a), (b), and (c), and wherein at least 10% of the fatty acids in the fatty acid composition are odd-number chain length fatty acids.