Patent ID: 8283143

Claim:
A method of producing a fatty alcohol composition, which method comprises the steps of: (a) obtaining a genetically engineered microbial cell comprising polynucleotide sequences encoding polypeptides having (i) acetyl-CoA carboxylase (accABCD, EC 6.4.1.2) activity and (ii) fatty alcohol forming activity selected from the group consisting of alcohol forming acyl-CoA reductase (FAR, EC 1.1.1.*), acyl-CoA reductase (EC 1.2.1.50) and alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1), (b) culturing the genetically engineered cell in a culture medium containing a carbon source under conditions effective to overexpress the polynucleotide sequences encoding the polypeptides having accABCD activity and fatty alcohol forming activity, (c) producing a fatty alcohol in the genetically engineered microbial cell, and (d) optionally recovering the fatty alcohol composition from the cell culture medium.