NOVELTY - Engineered photosynthetic or heterotrophic microbe comprising either a recombinant malate dehydrogenase (Mdhp) enzyme or a recombinant oxaloacetate decarboxylase, is new.    USE - The engineered photosynthetic or heterotrophic microbe is useful for improving production of a carbon-based compound such as ethanol, alcohols, alkenes, alkanes (claimed), propanol, isopropanol, butanol, fatty alcohols, fatty acid esters, wax esters, hydrocarbons and alkanes (such as propane, octane, diesel, jet propellant 8 (JP8)), polymers such as terephthalate, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, polyols, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), poly- beta -hydroxybutyrate (PHB), acrylate, adipic acid, epsilon -caprolactone, isoprene, caprolactam, rubber, commodity chemicals (such as lactate, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 3-hydroxypropionate, gamma -valerolactone, lysine, serine, aspartate, aspartic acid, sorbitol, ascorbate, ascorbic acid, isopentenol, lanosterol, omega-3 DHA, lycopene, itaconate, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene, propylene, succinate, citrate, citric acid, glutamate, malate, 3-hydroxypropionic acid (HPA), lactic acid, tetrahydrofuran (THF), gamma -butyrolactone, pyrrolidones, hydroxybutyrate, glutamic acid, levulinic acid, acrylic acid and malonic acid), carotenoids, isoprenoids, itaconic acid, pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical intermediates such as 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporanic acid (7-ADCA)/cephalosporin, erythromycin, polyketides, statins, paclitaxel, docetaxel, terpenes, peptides, steroids and omega fatty acids useful in biofuels, industrial and chemicals used as intermediates used to make additional products such as nutritional supplements, neutraceuticals, polymers, paraffin replacements, personal care products and pharmaceuticals.    ADVANTAGE - The engineered photosynthetic or heterotrophic microbe efficiently improves production of the carbon-based compound.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for improving production of a carbon-based compound by the photosynthetic microbe or heterotrophic microbe, where carbon-based compound is synthesized using pyruvate, at least in part, as a source of carbon, comprising either (a) culturing the photosynthetic or heterotrophic microbe in the presence of light and an inorganic carbon source, and (b) recombinantly expressing the MdhP enzyme, an oxaloacetate decarboxylase enzyme, NADPH-producing transhydrogenase system, NADPH-generating pyruvate dehydrogenase, pyruvate and ferredoxin oxidoreductase or NADPH-generating pyruvate dehydrogenase system in the photosynthetic microbe or heterotrophic microbe.