Riken Corporation

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.

Zeon Corporation

Tomokazu Shirai

Kazuhiro Takahashi

Misao Hiza

Yusuke Tanabe

Ryoko Orishimo

Yutaro Mori

With the aim of providing a method allowing production of an unsaturated hydrocarbon compound such as butadiene with high productivity and an enzyme used in the method, the present inventors introduced mutations involving amino acid replacement into various positions of a ferulic acid decarboxylase, and prepared multiple modified forms of the enzyme. Then, the present inventors evaluated those modified forms in terms of the catalytic activity for the production of butadiene, and found as a result that the catalytic activity was improved in the case where, for example, the amino acid at position 395 was glutamine, histidine, asparagine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, lysine, serine, arginine, tyrosine, or phenylalanine.

Decarboxylase and method for producing unsaturated hydrocarbon compound using same

A method enables olefin compound production with a high productivity, and an enzyme is used in the method. Mutations involving amino acid substitution are introduced into various sites of diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase (MVD) to prepare multiple MVD variants. Then, these variants are evaluated in terms of catalytic activity for producing an olefin compound such as isoprene, and have found as a result that the catalytic activity is improved when serine at position 153 and threonine at position 209 are each substituted with a different amino acid. In addition, the catalytic activity of the variants is further improved when glycine at position 152 is further substituted with a different amino acid.

Diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase variant and method for manufacturing olefin compound using same

Mutations involving amino acid substitution were introduced into various sites of diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase (MVD), thus preparing a large number of MVD variants. Then, the variants were each evaluated in terms of a catalytic activity for production of olefin compounds such as isoprene. As a result, it was found that substitution of glycine at position with a different amino acid resulted in improvement in the catalytic activity. In addition, it was found that the MVD in which arginine at position and threonine at position in addition to the position were further substituted with different amino acids, respectively, also had the high catalytic activity.

Diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase variant and method for producing olefin compound by using the same

A method which enables olefin compound production with a high productivity and an enzyme used in the method, a mutation involving amino acid substitution has been introduced into various sites of diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase (MVD), thus preparing a large number of MVD variants. Next, the result of evaluating the variants for the catalytic activity related to the production of olefin compounds such as isoprene has revealed that MVD whose threonine at position 209 is substituted with a different amino acid has the catalytic activity, and that MVD whose arginine at position 74 is further substituted with a different amino acid in addition to position 209 has the catalytic activity at higher levels.

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Wako, Japan

Tomokazu Shirai