Kaneka Corporation

Rina Aoki

Hisashi Arikawa

Keiji Matsumoto

Tetsuya Minami

Shunsuke Sato

Shingo Kobayashi

Provided are a PHA-producing microorganism producing a higher molecular weight PHA and a PHA production method using the PHA-producing microorganism. A PHA-producing microorganism including a gene encoding a PHA synthase derived from genus, in which at least a portion of a PHA degrading enzyme gene is altered by substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition to reduce or eliminate activity of a PHA degrading enzyme encoded by the gene, and further a glycerol kinase activity is enhanced.

PHA-producing microorganism in which glycerol kinase activity is enhanced, and PHA production method using same

A PHA copolymer which is slowly crystallized is improved in crystallization speed to improve the melt workability of the PHA copolymer in working such as injection molding, film molding, blow molding, fiber spinning, extrusion foaming or bead foaming, thereby improving the resultant articles in productivity. A method for the improvement is a method for producing a PHA mixture, including the step of culturing a microorganism having both of a gene encoding a PHA synthase that synthesizes a copolymer PHA (A) and that is derived from the genus, and a gene encoding a PHA synthase that synthesizes a PHA (B) different in melting point from the copolymer PHA (A) by 10&#xb0; C. or more to produce, in a cell of the microorganism, two or more PHAs different in melting point from one another by 10&#xb0; C. or more simultaneously.

Microorganism having multiple genes encoding PHA synthase and method for producing PHA using same

Provided is a method for producing PHA by a microbe with improved productivity of PHA, and a PHA-producing microbe used for the production method. A method for producing polyhydroxyalkanoic acid, the method including a step of culturing a microbe having a polyhydroxyalkanoic acid synthase gene and an inactivated gene encoding a flagellar protein to cause the microbe to produce polyhydroxyalkanoic acid. In the microbe, a lipase, a dephosphorylating enzyme, and a protein represented by the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6 or 7 may be additionally inactivated. The microbe may be

Method for producing polyhydroxyalkanoic acid, and microbes

A PHA copolymer which is slowly crystallized is improved in crystallization speed to improve the melt workability of the PHA copolymer in working such as injection molding, film molding, blow molding, fiber spinning, extrusion foaming or bead foaming, thereby improving the resultant articles in productivity. A method for the improvement is a method for producing a PHA mixture, including the step of culturing a microorganism having both of a gene encoding a PHA synthase that synthesizes a copolymer PHA (A) and that is derived from the genusand a gene encoding a PHA synthase that synthesizes a PHA (B) different in melting point from the copolymer PHA (A) by 10&#xb0; C. or more to produce, in a cell of the microorganism, two or more PHAs different in melting point from one another by 10&#xb0; C. or more simultaneously.

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Takasago, Japan

Rina Aoki