Production of useful substances utilizing the photosynthetic ability of cyanobacteria.
Green (Saitama University Research Seed Collection 2025-25 p.96)
Keywords: Photosynthesis, Cyanobacteria, Metabolic engineering, Transcription factors, Biofuel production, Blue-green algae
Photosynthesis is a reaction that uses light energy to fix carbon dioxide and produce sugars, but it is strongly influenced by changes in environmental conditions such as light intensity, temperature, and nutrient availability. Photosynthetic organisms optimize their photosynthetic reactions by altering their bodies in response to these environmental fluctuations, while also avoiding damage caused by environmental stress. We aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which cyanobacteria, bacteria that perform oxygenic photosynthesis like plants, sense changes in environmental conditions, transmit this information within their cells, and regulate gene expression and protein activity to achieve environmental responses in their photosynthetic systems. We have already identified many factors involved in the regulation of photosynthesis and carbon metabolism, and by genetically modifying these factors, we aim to develop applications such as the production of useful substances using cyanobacteria.
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Yukako Hihara, Professor Graduate School of Science and Technology, Department of Life Sciences, Molecular Biology Area 【Recent Research Themes】 ● Discovery of a novel environmental response mechanism that enables photosynthesis under various natural environments ● Discovery and functional elucidation of novel neutral lipids produced by cyanobacteria and their synthetic enzymes ● Elucidation of the ultraviolet resistance mechanism of cyanobacteria ● Functional elucidation of regulatory systems that coordinately control photosynthesis and carbon metabolism in cyanobacteria
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【Appeal Points to the Industry】 ● We have obtained patents through joint research with Kao Corporation on technology to improve the productivity of biofuels by knocking out transcription factors in cyanobacteria. ● "Modified Cyanobacteria" Patent No. 6341676 (Registration Date: May 25, 2018) ● "Modified Cyanobacteria" Patent No. 6663856 (Registration Date: February 19, 2020) ● Yukako Nihara (2021) "Transcription Factors and Substance Production in Cyanobacteria" Journal of the Society for Biotechnology 99: 416-420 【Examples of Practical Applications, Use Cases, and Utilization】 ● Improved lipid productivity by knocking out cyAbrB2, the master transcription factor for carbon and nitrogen metabolism in cyanobacteria (Patent No. 6341676) ● Successfully identified transcription factors involved in the expression regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis gene clusters in cyanobacteria, and improved lipid productivity by knocking out the transcription factor LexA (Patent No. 6663856) ● Utilization of a novel acyltransferase from cyanobacteria for the production of useful substances.
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Cultivation of a cyanobacterial strain with metabolic modifications that release fatty acids into the medium.
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The Saitama University Open Innovation Center is a center that functions as a liaison office for industry-academia-government collaboration. It consists of three departments: the Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Department, the Intellectual Property Department, and the Startup Support Department, each staffed with coordinators well-versed in various fields. The center's activities include solving technical challenges in companies, supporting the implementation of joint research, and conducting technology transfer aimed at introducing and utilizing Saitama University's intellectual property.