Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth

Green Phenol Development Co., Ltd.

Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Sharp Corporation

Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited

Green Chemicals Co., Ltd.

Other

Research Institute of Innovation Technology for the Earth

Hideaki Yukawa

Masayuki Inui

Akihito Yoshida

Kazumi Hiraga

Noriyuki Yamamoto

Naoto Torata

Masako Suda

Ryoma Hashimoto

Nobuo Katoh

Keitarou Fujikura

Shikiko Murakami

Kaori Nakata

Shohei Okino

Yuko Ikenaga

The mutant chorismate-pyruvate lyase (A) or (B) as described below is capable of producing 4-hydroxybenzoic acid or a salt thereof with sufficient practical efficiency. (A) A mutant chorismate-pyruvate lyase obtained by replacing the valine at position 80 in a chorismate-pyruvate lyase (ubiC) fromconsisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 with one or more other amino acids. (B) A mutant chorismate-pyruvate lyase obtained by replacing an amino acid in another chorismate-pyruvate lyase, the amino acid being at a position enzymologically homologous with that of the above valine, with one or more other amino acids.

Highly active mutant enzyme for producing 4-hydroxybenzoic acid or salt thereof

A transformant constructed by introducing a gene which encodes an enzyme having chorismate-pyruvate lyase activity into a coryneform bacterium as a host is capable of efficiently producing 4-hydroxybenzoic acid or a salt thereof from a sugar. When the transformant is cultured under aerobic conditions where the transformant does not grow, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid or a salt thereof can be produced in a particularly efficient manner.

Coryneform bacterium transformant and process for producing 4-hydroxybenzoic acid or salt thereof using the same

An objective of the present invention is to provide a microorganism capable of efficiently producing aniline from aminobenzoic acid, and a process for efficiently producing aniline from aminobenzoic acid. To achieve the objective, provided is an aniline-producing transformant constructed by introducing a gene which encodes an enzyme having aminobenzoate decarboxylase activity into a coryneform bacterium as a host, characterized in that the enzyme having aminobenzoate decarboxylase activity is composed of an amino acid sequence which is the same as that represented by SEQ ID NO: 2 except for having a mutation of at least proline (P) at position 309 from the N terminus.

Coryneform bacterium transformant with improved aniline productivity and process for producing aniline using the same

Provided is an aniline-producing transformant constructed by introducing a gene which encodes an enzyme having aminobenzoate decarboxylase activity into a coryneform bacterium as a host. Also provided is a process for producing aniline, which comprises a step of allowing the transformant to react in a reaction mixture containing aminobenzoic acid, an ester thereof, and/or a salt thereof under reducing conditions, and a step of recovering aniline from the reaction mixture.

Coryneform bacterium transformant and process for producing aniline using the same

Provided is a phenol-producing transformant constructed by transferring a gene which encodes an enzyme having chorismate-pyruvate lyase activity and a gene which encodes an enzyme having 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase activity into a coryneform bacterium as a host. Also provided is a process for producing phenol, which comprises a step of allowing the transformant to react in a reaction mixture containing a saccharide under reducing conditions, and a step of collecting phenol from the reaction mixture.

Coryneform bacterium transformant and process for producing phenol using the same

A phenol-producing transformant is provided which can efficiently produce phenol from a saccharide. A gene which encodes an enzyme having tyrosine phenol-lyase activity is transferred intoas a host. A process for producing phenol is provided having a step of reacting the transformant in a reaction mixture containing a saccharide under reducing conditions, and a step of collecting phenol from the reaction mixture.

A transformant obtainable by introducing one or more of the following DNAs (a), (b), and (c) into a coryneform bacterium as a host. (a) A DNA which encodes acetohydroxy acid synthase derived fromand which has a mutation changing the glycine at position 156 to glutamic acid (G156E) in an amino acid sequence encoded by the DNA, or an analog thereof. (b) A DNA which encodes acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase derived fromand which has mutations changing the serine at position 34 to glycine (S34G), the leucine at position 48 to glutamic acid (L48E), and the arginine at position 49 to phenylalanine (R49F) in an amino acid sequence encoded by the DNA, or an analog thereof.(c) A DNA which encodes leucine dehydrogenase derived from, or an analog thereof.

Coryneform bacterium transformant and process for producing valine using the same

Provided is a phenol-producing transformant constructed by transferring a gene which encodes an enzyme having 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase activity intoas a host. Also provided is a process for producing phenol, which comprises a step of allowing the transformant to react in a reaction mixture containing 4-hydroxybenzoate or a salt thereof under reducing conditions, and a step of collecting phenol from the reaction mixture.

Atransformant having the capability of producing isobutanol and the following genes (1) to (5):

Coryneform bacterium transformant and process for producing isobutanol using the same

Provided is a phenol-producing transformant constructed by transferring a gene which encodes an enzyme having tyrosine phenol-lyase activity into a coryneform bacterium as a host. Also provided is a process for producing phenol, which comprises a step of allowing the transformant to react in a reaction mixture containing tyrosine, a salt thereof, or an ester thereof under reducing conditions, and a step of collecting phenol from the reaction mixture.

In a step of contacting an organic material including formic acid ions and a carbon source other than the formic acid ions with a microorganism having a formate dehydrogenase gene and a hydrogenase gene under an anaerobic condition, concentration of the formic acid ions in the organic material is set to be not less than 0.01 mol/L and not more than 0.5 mol/L, and concentration of the carbon source is set to not less than 0.1 mmol/L and not more than 200 mmol/L. This allows continuously producing hydrogen for a long time, without dropping the ability of the microorganism to produce hydrogen.

Method and device for producing hydrogen

The present invention provides a microorganism which possesses the formate dehydrogenase gene and hydrogenase gene and contains an exogenous transcription activator gene for formate hydrogen lyase system, characterized in that said microorganism shows the transcription activator for formate hydrogen lyase system highly expressed therein and shows an improved function to generate hydrogen from formic acid, and a process for producing hydrogen using the microorganism. Utilization of the microorganism of the present invention enables the hydrogen production from an organic substrate to be accomplished on a practical, commercial scale. The hydrogen to be produced by the present invention, which is free of carbon monoxide being causative to poisoning of the electrode catalyst for fuel cells, is useful as a fuel for fuel cells.

Microorganism having the improved gene for hydrogen generation capability, and process for producing hydrogen using the same

A coryneform bacterium transformant prepared by transferring an exogenous gene which encodes a protein having a sugar transporter function into a coryneform bacterium capable of utilizing D-xylose.

Coryneform bacterium transformant having improved D-xylose-utilizing ability

The present invention relates to a method of inducing expression of a promoter function of various genes in abacterium related to function exertion, in order to exert the function of abacterium highly and effectively under an anaerobic condition, for producing an organic compound useful under an anaerobic condition, more particularly, provides a method of enhancing and/or suppressing the promoter function related to various genes, for the purpose of highly and effectively expressing various protein genes necessary for production of an objective substance, and suppressing expression of an unnecessary protein gene. The DNA fragment of the present invention is useful as a primer which is introduced into a transformedbacterium producing a useful substance such as lactic acid and succinic acid highly and at a high efficiency.

DNA fragment having promoter function

A transformant capable of producing isopropanol which is constructed by transferring the following genes (a) to (d) into an aerobic bacterium or a facultative anaerobic bacterium:

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Hideaki Yukawa