This disclosure relates to genome-scale attenuation or knockout strategies for directing carbon flux to certain carbon based building blocks within the 7-aminoheptanoic acid (7-AHA) and 6-aminohexanoic acid (6-AHA) biosynthesis pathways, for example, to achieve reduced flux to unwanted side products while achieving increased production of desired intermediates and end products. This disclosure also relates to non-naturally occurring mutant bacterial strains comprising one or more gene disruptions in aldehyde reductase and/or aldehyde dehydrogenase genes that are generated to direct carbon flux to certain carbon based building blocks. This disclosure further relates to a method for enhancing production of carbon based building blocks by generating non-naturally occurring mutant bacterial strains, culturing said mutant bacterial strains in the presence of suitable substrates or under desired growth conditions, and substantially purifying the desired end product.