Patent ID: 7741070

Claim:
An engineered bacterium characterized by: a) enhanced dxs, idi, or ispFD gene expression, or a combination thereof, wherein said enhanced gene expression is due to the replacement of a native promoter of said gene or genes with a non-native promoter; b) diminished or abrogated gdhA, aceE, fdhF, yjiD, hnr or yjfP gene expression, or a combination thereof, wherein said diminished or abrogated gene expression is due to a disruption of said one or more genes by knockout or deletion of said one or more genes or the promoter of said one or more genes; and c) diminished or abrogated ackA, appY, aspC, clp, clpP, clpXP, crcB, csdA, cyaA, evgS, fdhA, fdhD, feoB, fumA, glnE, glxR, gntK, hycl, lipB, lysU, modA, moeA, nadA, nuoC, nuoK, pflB, pitA, pst, pstC, pta, p-yjiD, sohA, stpA, yagR, yaiD, ybaS, ycfZ, ydeN, yebB, yedN, yfcC, ygjP, yibD, yjfP, yjhH, or yliE gene expression, or a combination thereof, wherein said diminished or abrogated gene expression is due to a disruption of said one or more genes by knockout or deletion of said one or more genes or the promoter of said one or more genes; wherein said enhanced, diminished or abrogated gene expression results in enhanced carotenoid production.