Publications (142)317.89 Total impact
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Article: Ethanol fermentation from lignocellulosic hydrolysate by a recombinant xylose- and cellooligosaccharide-assimilating yeast strain.
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ABSTRACT: The sulfuric acid hydrolysate of lignocellulosic biomass, such as wood chips, from the forest industry is an important material for fuel bioethanol production. In this study, we constructed a recombinant yeast strain that can ferment xylose and cellooligosaccharides by integrating genes for the intercellular expressions of xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase from Pichia stipitis, and xylulokinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and a gene for displaying beta-glucosidase from Aspergillus acleatus on the cell surface. In the fermentation of the sulfuric acid hydrolysate of wood chips, xylose and cellooligosaccharides were completely fermented after 36 h by the recombinant strain, and then about 30 g/l ethanol was produced from 73 g/l total sugar added at the beginning. In this case, the ethanol yield of this recombinant yeast was much higher than that of the control yeast. These results demonstrate that the fermentation of the lignocellulose hydrolysate is performed efficiently by the recombinant Saccharomyces strain with abilities for xylose assimilation and cellooligosaccharide degradation.Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 11/2006; 72(6):1136-43. · 3.42 Impact Factor -
Article: Display of active enzymes on the cell surface of Escherichia coli using PgsA anchor protein and their application to bioconversion.
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ABSTRACT: We have developed a novel Escherichia coli cell surface display system by employing PgsA as an anchoring motif. In our display system, C-terminal fusion to PgsA anchor protein from Bacillus subtilis was used. The enzymes selected for display were alpha-amylase (AmyA) from Streptococcus bovis 148 and lipase B (CALB) from Candida antarctica. The molecular mass values of AmyA and CALB are approximately 77 and 34 kDa, respectively. The enzymes were displayed on the surface as a fusion protein with a FLAG peptide tag at the C terminus. Both the PgsA-AmyA-FLAG and PgsA-CALB-FLAG fusion proteins were shown to be displayed by immunofluorescence labeling using anti-FLAG antibody. The displayed enzymes were active forms, and AmyA and CALB activities reached 990 U/g (dry cell weight) and 4.6 U/g (dry cell weight), respectively. AmyA-displaying E. coli cells grew utilizing cornstarch as the sole carbon source, while CALB-displaying E. coli cells catalyzed enantioselective transesterification, indicating that they are effective whole-cell biocatalysts. Since a target enzyme with a size of 77 kDa and an industrially useful lipase have been successfully displayed on the cell surface of E. coli for the first time, PgsA protein is probably a useful anchoring motif to display various enzymes.Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 06/2006; 70(5):564-72. · 3.42 Impact Factor -
Article: Lipase localization in Rhizopus oryzae cells immobilized within biomass support particles for use as whole-cell biocatalysts in biodiesel-fuel production.
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ABSTRACT: To identify the lipase responsible for the methanolysis activity of fungus whole-cell biocatalysts, the lipase localization of Rhizopus oryzae cells was determined. Western blot analysis showed that R. oryzae cells produce two types of lipase with different molecular masses of 34 and 31 kDa; the former (ROL34) was bound to the cell wall, whereas the latter (ROL31) was mainly bound to the cell membrane. It was found that cell immobilization within reticulated polyurethane foam biomass support particles strongly inhibits the secretion of membrane-bound lipase into the culture medium. An investigation of the relationship between ROL34 and ROL31 suggested that ROL31 originates from the cleavage of a 28-amino-acid residue at the N-terminus of ROL34. The addition of olive oil to the culture medium led to the retention of increased amounts of lipase within the cell. This phenomenon was further confirmed by an immunofluorescence labeling of hyphal cells. When cells were cultivated with various substrate-related compounds, such as olive oil and oleic acid, the intracellular methanolysis activity strongly correlated with the relative amounts of the membrane-bound lipase, which suggests that ROL31 localized in the membrane plays a crucial role in the methanolysis activity of R. oryzae cells.Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering 05/2006; 101(4):328-33. · 1.79 Impact Factor -
Article: Display of alpha-amylase on the surface of Lactobacillus casei cells by use of the PgsA anchor protein, and production of lactic acid from starch.
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ABSTRACT: We developed a new cell surface engineering system based on the PgsA anchor protein from Bacillus subtilis. In this system, the N terminus of the target protein was fused to the PgsA protein and the resulting fusion protein was expressed on the cell surface. Using this new system, we constructed a novel starch-degrading strain of Lactobacillus casei by genetically displaying alpha-amylase from the Streptococcus bovis strain 148 with a FLAG peptide tag (AmyAF). Localization of the PgsA-AmyA-FLAG fusion protein on the cell surface was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometric analysis. The lactic acid bacteria which displayed AmyAF showed significantly elevated hydrolytic activity toward soluble starch. By fermentation using AmyAF-displaying L. casei cells, 50 g/liter of soluble starch was reduced to 13.7 g/liter, and 21.8 g/liter of lactic acid was produced within about 24 h. The yield in terms of grams of lactic acid produced per gram of carbohydrate utilized was 0.60 g per g of carbohydrate consumed at 24 h. Since AmyA was immobilized on the cells, cells were recovered after fermentation and used repeatedly. During repeated utilization of cells, the lactic acid yield was improved to 0.81 g per g of carbohydrate consumed at 72 h. These results indicate that efficient simultaneous saccharification and fermentation from soluble starch to lactic acid were carried out by recombinant L. casei cells with cell surface display of AmyA.Applied and Environmental Microbiology 02/2006; 72(1):269-75. · 3.83 Impact Factor -
Article: Deletion of MCD 4 involved in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor synthesis leads to an increase in beta-1,6-glucan level and a decrease in GPI-anchored protein and mannan levels in the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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ABSTRACT: Most proteins involved in the synthesis of the GPI core structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are essential for growth. To explore the relationship between the GPI anchor structure and beta-1,6-glucan synthesis, we screened deletion mutants in genes involved in GPI synthesis for osmotic remedial growth. Heterozygous diploid strains were dissected on medium with osmotic support and slow growth of the mcd 4 deletion mutant was observed. The mcd 4 mutant showed abnormal morphology and cell aggregation, and was hypersensitive to SDS, hygromycin B and K1 killer toxin. Incorporation of GPI cell wall proteins was examined using a GPI-Flo 1 fusion protein. The result suggested that the mcd 4 deletion causes a decrease in GPI cell wall proteins levels. The mutation also caused a decrease in mannan levels and an increase in alkali-insoluble beta-1,6-glucan and chitin levels in the cell wall.Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering 05/2005; 99(4):354-60. · 1.79 Impact Factor -
Article: Rot1p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a putative membrane protein required for normal levels of the cell wall 1,6-beta-glucan.
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ABSTRACT: Although ROT1 is essential for growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain BY4741, the growth of a rot1Delta haploid was partially restored by the addition of 0.6 M sorbitol to the growth medium. Rot1p is predicted to contain 256 amino acids, to have a molecular mass of 29 kDa, and to possess a transmembrane domain near its C-terminus. Candida albicans and Schizosaccharomyces pombe have Rot1p homologues with high identity that also have predicted transmembrane domains. To explore the role of Rot1p, the phenotypes of the rot1Delta haploid were analysed. Deletion of ROT1 caused cell aggregation and an abnormal morphology. Analysis of the cell cycle showed that rot1Delta cells are delayed at the G2/M phase. The rot1Delta cells were resistant to K1 killer toxin and hypersensitive to SDS and hygromycin B, suggesting that they had cell wall defects. Indeed, greatly reduced levels of alkali-soluble and -insoluble 1,6-beta-glucan, and increased levels of chitin and 1,3-beta-glucan, were found in rot1Delta cells. Furthermore, the phenotypes of rot1Delta cells resemble those of disruption mutants of the KRE5 and BIG1 genes, which show greatly reduced levels of cell wall 1,6-beta-glucan. Incorporation of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-dependent cell wall proteins in big1Delta and rot1Delta cells was examined using a GFP-Flo1 fusion protein. GFP fluorescence was detected both on the cell surface and in the culture medium, suggesting that, in these mutants, mannoproteins may become only weakly bound to the cell wall and some of these proteins are released into the medium. Electron microscopic analyses of rot1Delta and big1Delta cells showed that the electron-dense mannoprotein rim staining was more diffuse and paler than that in the wild-type, and that the outer boundary of the cell wall was irregular. A big1Deltarot1Delta double mutant had a growth rate similar to the corresponding single mutants, suggesting that Rot1p and Big1p have related functions in 1,6-beta-glucan synthesis.Microbiology 11/2004; 150(Pt 10):3163-73. · 3.06 Impact Factor -
Article: Construction of a xylan-fermenting yeast strain through codisplay of xylanolytic enzymes on the surface of xylose-utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells.
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ABSTRACT: Hemicellulose is one of the major forms of biomass in lignocellulose, and its essential component is xylan. We used a cell surface engineering system based on alpha-agglutinin to construct a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain codisplaying two types of xylan-degrading enzymes, namely, xylanase II (XYNII) from Trichoderma reesei QM9414 and beta-xylosidase (XylA) from Aspergillus oryzae NiaD300, on the cell surface. In a high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, xylose was detected as the main product of the yeast strain codisplaying XYNII and XylA, while xylobiose and xylotriose were detected as the main products of a yeast strain displaying XYNII on the cell surface. These results indicate that xylan is sequentially hydrolyzed to xylose by the codisplayed XYNII and XylA. In a further step toward achieving the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of xylan, a xylan-utilizing S. cerevisiae strain was constructed by codisplaying XYNII and XylA and introducing genes for xylose utilization, namely, those encoding xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase from Pichia stipitis and xylulokinase from S. cerevisiae. After 62 h of fermentation, 7.1 g of ethanol per liter was directly produced from birchwood xylan, and the yield in terms of grams of ethanol per gram of carbohydrate consumed was 0.30 g/g. These results demonstrate that the direct conversion of xylan to ethanol is accomplished by the xylan-utilizing S. cerevisiae strain.Applied and Environmental Microbiology 10/2004; 70(9):5407-14. · 3.83 Impact Factor -
Article: Direct production of ethanol from raw corn starch via fermentation by use of a novel surface-engineered yeast strain codisplaying glucoamylase and alpha-amylase.
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ABSTRACT: Direct and efficient production of ethanol by fermentation from raw corn starch was achieved by using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae codisplaying Rhizopus oryzae glucoamylase and Streptococcus bovis alpha-amylase by using the C-terminal-half region of alpha-agglutinin and the flocculation functional domain of Flo1p as the respective anchor proteins. In 72-h fermentation, this strain produced 61.8 g of ethanol/liter, with 86.5% of theoretical yield from raw corn starch.Applied and Environmental Microbiology 09/2004; 70(8):5037-40. · 3.83 Impact Factor -
Article: Synergistic saccharification, and direct fermentation to ethanol, of amorphous cellulose by use of an engineered yeast strain codisplaying three types of cellulolytic enzyme.
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ABSTRACT: A whole-cell biocatalyst with the ability to induce synergistic and sequential cellulose-degradation reaction was constructed through codisplay of three types of cellulolytic enzyme on the cell surface of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When a cell surface display system based on alpha-agglutinin was used, Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase II and cellobiohydrolase II and Aspergillus aculeatus beta-glucosidase 1 were simultaneously codisplayed as individual fusion proteins with the C-terminal-half region of alpha-agglutinin. Codisplay of the three enzymes on the cell surface was confirmed by observation of immunofluorescence-labeled cells with a fluorescence microscope. A yeast strain codisplaying endoglucanase II and cellobiohydrolase II showed significantly higher hydrolytic activity with amorphous cellulose (phosphoric acid-swollen cellulose) than one displaying only endoglucanase II, and its main product was cellobiose; codisplay of beta-glucosidase 1, endoglucanase II, and cellobiohydrolase II enabled the yeast strain to directly produce ethanol from the amorphous cellulose (which a yeast strain codisplaying beta-glucosidase 1 and endoglucanase II could not), with a yield of approximately 3 g per liter from 10 g per liter within 40 h. The yield (in grams of ethanol produced per gram of carbohydrate consumed) was 0.45 g/g, which corresponds to 88.5% of the theoretical yield. This indicates that simultaneous and synergistic saccharification and fermentation of amorphous cellulose to ethanol can be efficiently accomplished using a yeast strain codisplaying the three cellulolytic enzymes.Applied and Environmental Microbiology 03/2004; 70(2):1207-12. · 3.83 Impact Factor -
Article: Efficient production of L-(+)-lactic acid from raw starch by Streptococcus bovis 148.
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ABSTRACT: Streptococcus bovis 148 was found to produce L-(+)-lactic acid directly from soluble and raw starch substrates at pH 6.0. Productivity was highest at 37 degrees C, with 14.7 g/l lactic acid produced from 20 g/l raw starch. The yield and optical purity of L-lactic acid were 0.88 and 95.6%, respectively.Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering 02/2004; 97(6):423-5. · 1.79 Impact Factor -
Article: Cell cycle analysis of Chinese hamster ovary cells stimulated by phosphatidic acid in serum-free culture.
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ABSTRACT: When recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells were treated with pertussis toxin or genistein, not only lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) but also phosphatidic acid (PA) failed to stimulate progression through the cell cycle in serum-free culture, suggesting that PA and LPA induce cell growth through the same signal transduction pathway. Cell cycle analysis also indicates that cell growth promoted by PA results in enhanced protein production.Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering 02/2004; 98(6):487-9. · 1.79 Impact Factor -
Article: Recombinant protein production by the baculovirus-insect cell system in Basal media without serum supplementation.
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ABSTRACT: The production of beta-galactosidase by Sf9 cells infected with recombinant Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcNPV) was investigated in shake-flask culture using two serum-free basal media: Grace's medium and TNM-FH (Grace's medium supplemented with lactalbumin hydrolysate and yeast extract). At the time of infection, cells grown in serum-supplemented TNM-FH were transferred into fresh basal media without adaptation. The absence of serum depressed the beta-galactosidase yield considerably in Grace's medium, but to a much lesser extent in TNM-FH, where it reached around 2/3 of the level obtained in TNM-FH supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). While both lactalbumin hydrolysate and yeast extract promoted beta-galactosidase production, their removal by medium replacement on post-infection day 1 gave a beta-galactosidase yield nearly equal to that obtained in their continuous presence. Supplementation of basal media with phosphatidic acid (PA) from egg yolk lecithin, which has been shown to enhance cell growth and recombinant protein production in serum-free culture of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, was also effective in increasing beta-galactosidase yield. Elevating the multiplicity of infection (MOI) from 2 to 10 plaque-forming units per cell (pfu/cell) also resulted in an increase in product yield. These results provide information important to the development of cost-effective serum-free culture technology for use in large-scale production of recombinant proteins by the baculovirus-insect cell system.Cytotechnology 12/2003; 43(1-3):3-10. · 1.21 Impact Factor -
Article: Nanoparticles for the delivery of genes and drugs to human hepatocytes.
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ABSTRACT: Hepatitis B virus envelope L particles form hollow nanoparticles displaying a peptide that is indispensable for liver-specific infection by hepatitis B virus in humans. Here we demonstrate the use of L particles for the efficient and specific transfer of a gene or drug into human hepatocytes both in culture and in a mouse xenograft model. In this model, intravenous injection of L particles carrying the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP) or a fluorescent dye resulted in observable fluorescence only in human hepatocellular carcinomas but not in other human carcinomas or in mouse tissues. When the gene encoding human clotting factor IX was transferred into the xenograft model using L particles, factor IX was produced at levels relevant to the treatment of hemophilia B. The yeast-derived L particle is free of viral genomes, highly specific to human liver cells and able to accommodate drugs as well as genes. These advantages should facilitate targeted delivery of genes and drugs to the human liver.Nature Biotechnology 09/2003; 21(8):885-90. · 23.27 Impact Factor -
Article: Production of protein kinase C-delta by the baculovirus-insect cell system in serum-supplemented and serum-free media.
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ABSTRACT: When rat protein kinase C-delta (PKC-delta) was produced by Sf9 cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus in shake-flask culture using a serum-containing medium, the intracellular PKC-delta content decreased in the late period while the extracellular PKC-6 markedly increased. During the late period of serum-free culture, the extracellular PKC-6 level considerably declined, but the addition of a protease inhibitor, leupeptin, prevented the reduction in PKC-delta production.Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering 02/2003; 95(2):185-7. · 1.79 Impact Factor -
Article: Comparative study on delivery of phosphatidic acid to serum-free culture of Chinese hamster ovary cells.
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ABSTRACT: Liposomes containing phosphatidic acid (PA) and inclusion complexes of PA with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (CD) were compared with PA dispersion prepared with a nonionic surfactant, Tween 80, for their effect on the growth of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells in serum-free culture. All of the types of PA preparation were capable of promoting cell growth to almost the same high extent, indicating that the efficacy of PA in stimulating cellular growth may not depend on the preparation method.Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering 02/2003; 96(2):196-8. · 1.79 Impact Factor -
Article: Preparation of yeast strains displaying IgG binding domain ZZ and enhanced green fluorescent protein for novel antigen detection systems.
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ABSTRACT: To develop novel immunofluorescence-labeling and antigen-detection systems, the ZZ domain derived from Staphylococcus aureus, which binds to the Fc part of immunoglobulin G, and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were displayed on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by cell-surface engineering using the C-terminus 318 amino acids of Flo1 protein. Two systems were constructed, one for co-display of ZZ and EGFP, and one for display of a fusion protein of the two. In both cases, two proteins on the cell surface successfully retain their activities.Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering 02/2003; 96(5):493-5. · 1.79 Impact Factor -
Article: Direct and efficient production of ethanol from cellulosic material with a yeast strain displaying cellulolytic enzymes.
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ABSTRACT: For direct and efficient ethanol production from cellulosic materials, we constructed a novel cellulose-degrading yeast strain by genetically codisplaying two cellulolytic enzymes on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By using a cell surface engineering system based on alpha-agglutinin, endoglucanase II (EGII) from the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei QM9414 was displayed on the cell surface as a fusion protein containing an RGSHis6 (Arg-Gly-Ser-His(6)) peptide tag in the N-terminal region. EGII activity was detected in the cell pellet fraction but not in the culture supernatant. Localization of the RGSHis6-EGII-alpha-agglutinin fusion protein on the cell surface was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy. The yeast strain displaying EGII showed significantly elevated hydrolytic activity toward barley beta-glucan, a linear polysaccharide composed of an average of 1,200 glucose residues. In a further step, EGII and beta-glucosidase 1 from Aspergillus aculeatus No. F-50 were codisplayed on the cell surface. The resulting yeast cells could grow in synthetic medium containing beta-glucan as the sole carbon source and could directly ferment 45 g of beta-glucan per liter to produce 16.5 g of ethanol per liter within about 50 h. The yield in terms of grams of ethanol produced per gram of carbohydrate utilized was 0.48 g/g, which corresponds to 93.3% of the theoretical yield. This result indicates that efficient simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulose to ethanol are carried out by a recombinant yeast cells displaying cellulolytic enzymes.Applied and Environmental Microbiology 11/2002; 68(10):5136-41. · 3.83 Impact Factor -
Article: Construction of yeast strains with high cell surface lipase activity by using novel display systems based on the Flo1p flocculation functional domain.
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ABSTRACT: We constructed a novel cell-surface display system, using as a new type of cell-wall anchor 3,297 or 4,341 bp of the 3' region of the FLO1 gene (FS or FL gene, respectively), which encodes the flocculation functional domain of Flo1p. In this system, the N terminus of the target protein was fused to the FS or FL protein and the fusion proteins were expressed under the control of the inducible promoter UPR-ICL (5' upstream region of the isocitrate lyase of Candida tropicalis). Using this new system, recombinant lipase with a pro sequence from Rhizopus oryzae (rProROL), which has its active site near the C terminus, was displayed on the cell surface. Cell-surface display of the FSProROL and FLProROL fusion proteins was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoblotting. Lipase activity reached 145 IU/liter (61.3 IU/g [dry cell weight]) on the surface of the yeast cells, which successfully catalyzed the methanolysis reaction. Using these whole-cell biocatalysts, methylesters synthesized from triglyceride and methanol reached 78.3% after 72 h of reaction. To our knowledge, this is the first example of cell-surface display of lipase with high activity. Interestingly, the yeast cells displaying the FLProROL protein showed strong flocculation, even though the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor attachment signal and cell-membrane-anchoring region of Flo1p had been deleted from this gene. The cell-surface display system based on FL thus endows the yeast strain with both novel enzyme display and strong flocculation ability.Applied and Environmental Microbiology 10/2002; 68(9):4517-22. · 3.83 Impact Factor -
Article: Effect of oxidized and reduced forms of Escherichia coli DsbC on protein refolding.
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ABSTRACT: DsbC, which catalyzes disulfide isomerization, was overproduced in the periplasm of Escherichia coli and purified from the periplasmic fraction by osmotic shock and anion-exchange chromatography. The active site of the purified DsbC was found to be an oxidized form (ox-DsbC) which could be converted to the reduced form (red-DsbC) by the addition of dithiothreitol. The effect of ox- and red-DsbC on the refolding of chemically denatured and reduced proteins with different numbers of disulfide bonds and free cysteine-thiol groups was investigated. Ox-DsbC facilitated the refolding of proteins with multiple disulfide bonds in both oxidative and reductive environments, while red-DsbC facilitated refolding only in the former. On the other hand, only red-DsbC facilitated the refolding of proteins with multiple free cysteine-thiol groups but either form of DsbC did not facilitate the refolding of proteins with only one cysteine-thiol group. It is therefore important to choose the form which suits the properties of the protein. Holo-chaperonin from Thermus thermophilus and DsbC demonstrated a synergistic effect on protein refolding.Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering 02/2002; 94(2):130-4. · 1.79 Impact Factor -
Chapter: Effective Biofuel Production by an Intelligent Bioreactor
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ABSTRACT: With the aim of contributing to efforts to solve global energy and environmental problems, a joint research project — Effective Biofuel Production by an Intelligent Bioreactor — has been set up with participants representing several universities, research institute, and industrial companies. Biofuel obtained from biomass resources is seen as an important source of ‘clean energy’ by virtue of features such as its biodegradability and low carbon and sulphur dioxide contents. By utilising an ‘intelligent’ bioreactor containing immobilised ‘arming cells’, it is expected that practical biofuel production can be achieved at a considerably lower cost than with conventional processes.12/2001: pages 449-455;
Top co-authors
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Institutions
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1996–2012
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Kobe University
- • Organization of Advanced Science and Technology
- • Department of Chemical Science and Engineering
Kōbe-shi, Hyogo-ken, Japan
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2009
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Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology
New Delhi, NCT, India
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