Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited

Sri Sports Limited

Dunlop Sports Company Limited

Tohoku University

Osaka University

Kanazawa University

Kazuhisa Fushihara

Chiemi Mikura

Yukino Inoue

Mikio Yamada

Haruhiko Yamaguchi

Toru Nakayama

Seiji Takahashi

Satoshi Yamashita

Ayaka Shindo

Shun Kurihara

Yumi Kanemitsu

Kiyoto Maruoka

Koichi Fujisawa

Kazuo Hochi

Akihiro Nakahara

Toshiyuki Tarao

Hiroaki Tanaka

Keiji Takagi

Kohei Takemura

Keiko Suzuki

Toshiya Muranaka

Kazuyoshi Shiga

Keiji Moriyama

Kuniyasu Horiuchi

Kazuhiko Isogawa

Yoshikazu Yabuki

Masaya Tsunoda

Jun Takagi

Kaname Yamada

Seigou Sakagami

Seiji Tomono

Tatsuhiro Tanaka

Toshifumi Haba

Yoshiyuki Okido

Hiromasa Tsunashima

Yutaka Yoshida

Taketo Matsuki

Satoru Komatsu

Yuko Sakurai

Yuzuru Tozawa

Ayaka Hibi

Jekson Robertlee

Yumi Sakaguchi

Norio Yoshiga

Hiroyuki Tsujinaka

Kanako Kobayashi

Robertlee Jekson

Provided is a method for producing a polyisoprenoid, which makes it possible to synthesize in vitro a polyisoprenoid having an unprecedented structure, such as a 100% cis-polyisoprenoid or a polyisoprenoid containing an allylic diphosphate derivative as an initiating terminal. Also provided is a method for producing a polyisoprenoid in vitro, which employs a gene coding for a neryl diphosphate synthase and rubber particles bound to a protein encoded by the gene, or a method for producing a polyisoprenoid, which includes introducing into a plant a vector in which a gene coding for a neryl diphosphate synthase is linked to a promoter having a promoter activity that drives laticifer-specific gene expression to express a protein encoded by the gene specifically in laticifers.

Method for producing polyisoprenoid, vector, transformed plant, method for producing pneumatic tire, and method for producing rubber product

The present invention aims to provide a method for producing a trans-polyisoprenoid which can increase trans rubber production. The present invention is directed to a method for producing a trans-polyisoprenoid in vitro, which involves the use of a gene coding for a trans-prenyltransferase (tPT) family protein and further involves the use of rubber particles bound to a protein encoded by the gene, or a method for producing a trans-polyisoprenoid, which includes introducing into a plant a vector including a promotor having a promoter activity that drives laticifer-specific gene expression and a gene coding for a tPT family protein linked to the promotor to express a protein encoded by the gene specifically in laticifers.

Method for producing trans-polyisoprenoid, vector, transgenic plant, method for producing pneumatic tire and method for producing rubber product

Provided are tires that are excellent in tire properties such as fuel economy, abrasion resistance, wet grip performance, snow and ice performance, fracture resistance, and flex crack growth resistance. Included is a tire containing a rubber composition containing a natural rubber derived from-having a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 5,000,000 or more and including polymers having a radius of gyration (Rz) of 130 nm or larger, wherein the Mw and Rz values are measured by FFF-MALS.

Tires

Provided is a method for producing a polyisoprenoid, which can increase natural rubber production by enhancing the rubber synthesis activity of rubber particles. The present invention provides methods for producing a polyisoprenoid using a gene coding for a cis-prenyltransferase (CPT) family protein, a gene coding for a Nogo-B receptor (NgBR) family protein and a gene coding for a rubber elongation factor (REF) family protein, specifically a method for producing a polyisoprenoid in vitro using rubber particles bound to proteins coded for by these genes, and a method for producing a polyisoprenoid in vivo using a recombinant organism (plant) having these genes introduced therein.

Method for producing polyisoprenoid, transformed plant, method for producing pneumatic tire and method for producing rubber product

The present invention provides a method for producing a polyisoprenoid with which it is possible to enhance the rubber synthesis activity of rubber particles to increase natural rubber production. The present invention relates to a method for producing a polyisoprenoid in vitro, which involves the use of a gene coding for a cis-prenyltransferase (CPT) family protein and a gene coding for a Nogo-B receptor (NgBR) family protein, and further involves the use of rubber particles bound to proteins encoded by these genes; or a method for producing a polyisoprenoid, which includes introducing into a plant a vector in which a promoter having a promoter activity that drives laticifer-specific gene expression is linked to a gene coding for a CPT family protein and a gene coding for a NgBR family protein, to express proteins encoded by the genes specifically in laticifers.

Production method for polyisoprenoid, vector, transgenic plant, production method for pneumatic tire, and production method for rubber product

The present invention provides a method for producing rubber particles bound to a membrane-associated protein by cell-free protein synthesis. The present invention relates to a method for producing rubber particles bound to a membrane-associated protein, the method including the step of performing protein synthesis in the presence of both rubber particles and a cell-free protein synthesis solution containing an mRNA coding for a membrane-associated protein to bind the membrane-associated protein to the rubber particles.

Production method for rubber particles having membrane-binding protein bound thereto, production method for pneumatic tire, and production method for rubber product

Provided is a mutant protein obtained by mutating a specific amino acid residue of HMGR, a rate-limiting enzyme of isoprene monomer biosynthesis in the polyisoprenoid biosynthesis pathway. The present invention relates to a mutant protein, wherein at least one amino acid residue selected from the group consisting of amino acid residues at positions 91, 225, 257, 287, 339, 411, 470, 509 and 574 of the3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase shown by SEQ ID NO:1 and amino acid residues at positions corresponding to the foregoing in 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase is deleted or replaced with another amino acid residue.

Mutein, method for producing said mutein, gene encoding said mutein, recombinant vector and plant bearing said gene, method for controlling amount of mevalonic acid produced and amount of isoprenoid produced, method for controlling 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity

An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball excellent in flying performance, in particular, to provide a golf ball traveling a great flight distance. The present invention provides a golf ball having a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) an &#x3b1;,&#x3b2;-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d1) an aromatic carboxylic acid or (d2) an aromatic carboxylic acid salt, provided that the rubber composition further contains (e) a metal compound in the case of containing only (b) the &#x3b1;,&#x3b2;-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms as the co-crosslinking agent.

Golf ball

Provided is a method for producing rubber particles with a reduced coagulation tendency. The present invention relates to a method for producing rubber particles with a reduced coagulation tendency, the method including a step of performing protein synthesis in the presence of both rubber particles and a cell-free protein synthesis solution containing an mRNA coding for a rubber elongation factor (REF) family protein to bind the REF family protein to the rubber particles.

Method for producing rubber particles with reduced coagulation tendency, method for producing pneumatic tire, and method for producing rubber product

An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball showing a great flight distance on driver shots. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core has a difference between absorbance of the absorption peak appeared at 1560&#xb1;30 cmat a surface thereof and absorbance of the absorption peak appeared at 1560&#xb1;30 cmat a center thereof of 0.024 or more, when measuring the spherical core with a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer.

The present invention provides a method of increasing production of amorpha-4,11-diene and a method of increasing production of natural rubber. The present invention relates to a method of increasing production of amorpha-4,11-diene which includes the step of attaching an enzyme inhibitor tointo which has been introduced a gene encoding amorphadiene synthase. The enzyme inhibitor inhibits at least one enzyme other than amorphadiene synthase, that catalyzes an enzymatic reaction in which farnesyl diphosphate acts as a substrate. The present invention also relates to a method of increasing production of natural rubber which includes the step of attaching an enzyme inhibitor to a rubber-producing plant. The enzyme inhibitor inhibits at least one enzyme other than enzymes involved in natural rubber synthesis, that catalyzes an enzymatic reaction in which farnesyl diphosphate acts as a substrate.

Method of increasing production of amorpha-4,11-diene and method of increasing production of natural rubber

An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball excellent in flying performance, in particular, to provide a golf ball traveling a great flight distance. The present invention provides a golf ball having a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) an &#x3b1;,&#x3b2;-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d) a carboxylic acid, provided that the rubber composition further contains (e) a metal compound in the case of containing only (b) the &#x3b1;,&#x3b2;-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms as the co-crosslinking agent.

An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having a low spin rate on driver shots and excellent in flight distance performance. The present invention provides a golf ball having a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) an &#x3b1;,&#x3b2;-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d) a salt of a carboxylic acid, provided that the rubber composition further contains (e) a metal compound in the case of containing only (b) the &#x3b1;,&#x3b2;-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms as the co-crosslinking agent.

An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having a great flight distance on driver shots. The present invention provides a golf ball having a spherical core and at least one cover layer covering the spherical core, wherein when JIS-C hardness, which is measured at nine points obtained by dividing a radius of the spherical core into equal parts having 12.5% intervals therebetween, is plotted against distance (%) from a core center, the spherical core is such that Rof a linear approximation curve obtained from the least square method is 0.95 or higher, and a hardness difference between a core surface hardness and a core central hardness is 15 or higher in JIS-C hardness.

Growing community of inventors

Kobe, Japan

Kazuhisa Fushihara