Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Biomolecular Engineering & Marine Biotechnology Lab.
Production of useful substances and mass culture
Since the transformation method was established in 2010, we have succeeded in the regulation of the gene expression of each organelle, such as cytoplasm, oilbody, cell wall and chloroplast. Through recombinant DNA technology, it is possible to produce high performance strains, and the practical application of biofuel production is further anticipated. In fact, through the increase in packed cell volume due to the strong expression of glycerol kinase gene, as well as the increase in lipid accumulation rate due to the strong expression of NADPH synthase, the improvement of lipid productivity has been achieved. The establishment of outdoor mass culture technology, for the practical application of biodiesel in the future, is also in progress. So far, the stable production of biodiesel throughout the year has been made possible by recombining marine diatoms that can also be cultured in winter. In addition to further studies on molecular breeding and culture process to improve the oil productivity of diatoms, our laboratory is also promoting the research on the production of various useful substances using different types of photosynthetic microorganisms.
