Patents Examined by Richard C. Ekstrom
  • Patent number: 10100290
    Abstract: An isolated glycosyltransferase (GT) polypeptide capable of: (I): conjugating glucose to flavokermesic acid (FK); and/or (II): conjugating glucose to kermesic acid (KA) and use of this GT to e.g. make Carminic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignees: Københavns Universitet, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
    Inventors: Rubini Maya Kannangara, Mads Bennedsen, Bjørn Madsen, Kim Binderup, Ulf Thrane, Rasmus John Normand Frandsen, Uffe Hasbro Mortensen, Birger Lindberg Møller, Finn Thyge Okkels
  • Patent number: 10072255
    Abstract: This invention relates to a microorganism that produces a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) copolymer with a regulated monomer composition ratio and comprises a (R)-specific enoyl-CoA hydratase gene in the genome DNA, wherein a nucleotide sequence upstream of the (R)-specific enoyl-CoA hydratase gene comprises a modification consisting of a substitution(s), a deletion(s), an insertion(s), and/or an addition(s) of one or a plurality of nucleotides so that the expression of the (R)-specific enoyl-CoA hydratase gene is regulated, and to a method for producing a PHA copolymer using the microorganism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: KANEKA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hisashi Arikawa, Shunsuke Sato, Keiji Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10066249
    Abstract: Provided is a means for producing an acetylated sphingoid base using modified microorganism in the genus Starmerella, particularly Starmerella bombicola. A method for producing an acetylated sphingoid base comprising culturing a microorganism in the genus Starmerella to which a xenogeneic gene encoding a polypeptide having an activity to acetylate a sphingoid base is introduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: KAO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kumiko Hirano, Atsuko Hayase
  • Patent number: 10059920
    Abstract: A non-naturally occurring microbe capable of growing in a medium comprising methanol is provided. The methanol contributes to a significant percentage (e.g., at least 40%) of the carbon source for the non-naturally occurring microbe, which expresses heterologous methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) and heterologous ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) pathway enzymes. Methods for producing liquid fuels and chemicals by the non-naturally occurring microbe and methods for preparing the non-naturally occurring microbe are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: University of Delaware
    Inventors: Eleftherios T. Papoutsakis, Sergios Nicolaou, Alan Fast, Vasiliki Falara, Robert Kyle Bennett, William Brian Whitaker, Nicholas Richard Sandoval, Jacqueline Gonzalez, Maciek Antoniewicz
  • Patent number: 10053698
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an E. coli mutant strain having enhanced L-threonine productivity, which is obtained by introducing the permease of Corynebacterium origin, and to method of producing L-threonine using the E. coli mutant strain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: CJ CHEILJEDANG CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hyung Joon Kim, Su Yon Kwon, Eun Sung Koh, Ji Sun Lee, Keun Cheol Lee, Young Bin Hwang, Hyeong Pyo Hong
  • Patent number: 10041094
    Abstract: The present invention is in the field of producing organic acids and other useful chemicals via biological fermentation using glycerol as a source of carbon. Novel microorganisms and fermentation processes are described that are capable of converting glycerol to useful organic acids in high yield and high purity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Myriant Corporation
    Inventors: R. Rogers Yocum, Theron Hermann, Xiaohui Hu
  • Patent number: 10035987
    Abstract: Provided are a microorganism having an enhanced activity of alpha-ketoglutarate decarboxylase and a method of producing 4-hydroxybutyrate or 1,4-butanediol using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yukyung Jung, Jinhwan Park, Taewook Nam, Kwangmyung Cho, Hwayoung Cho
  • Patent number: 10030215
    Abstract: Provided are isolated polypeptides with lipase activity. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; compositions comprising the polynucleotides and methods of using the polypeptides or the compositions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Novozymes A/S
    Inventors: Ming Li, Tianqi Sun, Xianzhi Jiang, Han Bucong, Carsten Hoerslev Hansen, Kim Borch, Lone Baunsgaard
  • Patent number: 10023884
    Abstract: According to the present invention, a microorganism belonging to the genus Aurantiochytrium having an 18S rRNA gene consisting of the base sequence represented by any of SEQ ID NOS: 1 to 5; Aurantiochytrium sp. OH4 strain; a microorganism which is a mutant obtained from the above-mentioned microorganism as a parent strain and has a higher ability to produce DHA than the parent strain; or Aurantiochytrium sp. LTR23 strain is provided. Also, a method for producing a DHA-containing composition, DHA and DHA alkyl ester by a fermentation process using the above-mentioned microorganisms is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: KYOWA HAKKO BIO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuro Ujihara, Megumi Nagano, Kazuhiko Tabata
  • Patent number: 10017751
    Abstract: An isoamylase having improved heat resistance and an industrial method for producing maltose from starch. The isoamylase is an isoamylase consisting of the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1 or an isoamylase resulting from deletion, substitution, or insertion of one to several amino acid residues in the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, wherein at least valine at amino acid number 515 and methionine at amino acid number 570 are mutated to other amino acids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: GODO SHUSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Horiguchi, Ai Iyotani, Kazuma Shiota
  • Patent number: 10017749
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a mutant transaminase with increased transaminase activity relative to the wild-type transaminase, a fusion protein comprising the transaminase, a polynucleotide coding for the transaminase, a host cell comprising the polynucleotide, mutant transaminase and/or fusion protein, a method of producing an amine with the mutant transaminase or fusion protein and the use of the mutant transaminase or fusion protein for the production of an amine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: HOFFMAN-LA ROCHE INC.
    Inventors: Steven Paul Hanlon, Hans Iding, Paul Spurr, Beat Wirz, Uwe Bornscheuer, Ioannis Pavlidis, Martin Steffen Weiss
  • Patent number: 10017791
    Abstract: A transformant constructed by introducing a gene which encodes an enzyme having chorismate-pyruvate lyase activity into a coryneform bacterium as a host is capable of efficiently producing 4-hydroxybenzoic acid or a salt thereof from a sugar. When the transformant is cultured under aerobic conditions where the transformant does not grow, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid or a salt thereof can be produced in a particularly efficient manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: GREEN CHEMICALS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideaki Yukawa, Masayuki Inui, Kazumi Hiraga, Masako Suda, Ryoma Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10006063
    Abstract: The invention relates to the field of producing succinate by E. coli fermentation. Specifically, the invention provides an engineered recombinant E. coli for producing succinate, wherein said E. coli contains one or more of the following modifications: a) enhanced activity of the protein(s) encoded by the gene(s) involved in pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), b) enhanced activity of the protein encoded by sthA gene, and optionally c) mutant lpdA gene. The invention also relates to use of the engineered recombinant E. coli for producing succinate, and a method of using the engineered recombinant E. coli for producing succinate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: TIANJIN INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventors: Xueli Zhang, Xinna Zhu, Hongtao Xu, Zaigao Tan
  • Patent number: 10006057
    Abstract: The present invention relates to materials and methods for the production of ethanol. More particularly, the present invention provides genetically modified strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae having enhanced tolerance for gamma valerolactone (GVL) toxicity. Also provided are methods of using such genetically engineered yeast strains for improved GVL-mediated hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass for industrial-scale ethanol production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Jeff S. Piotrowski, Trey K. Sato, Chad L. Myers
  • Patent number: 9994869
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a recombinant methanotroph having an ability to produce isoprene and a method for producing isoprene using the same, and more particularly to a recombinant methanotroph having an ability to produce isoprene wherein a gene encoding an isoprene synthase having a homology of at least 70% to the amino acid sequence of Ipomoea batatas isoprene synthase is introduced into the recombinant methanotroph, and a method for producing isoprene using the recombinant methanotroph. The use of a recombinant methanotroph according to the present invention enables isoprene to be produced in high yield by using methane gas or methanol which is obtained from waste such as natural gas, biomass, municipal waste or the like as a carbon source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignees: SK Innovation Co., Ltd., San Diego State University Research Foundation
    Inventors: JaeYang Song, Kwang Kuk Cho, Ki Sung Lee, Yeon Hwa La, Marina Kalyuzhnaya
  • Patent number: 9994885
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to the biosynthetic pathway for a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) derived drug and analogs thereof. The invention provides polynucleotide sequences useful for heterologous expression in a convenient microbial host for the synthesis of the NRPS-derived drug, the polypeptides encoded by such polynucleotides, expression vectors comprising the polynucleotides, host cells comprising the polynucleotides or expression vectors, and kits comprising a host cell. Also provided is a method for the production of ET-743, the NRPS-derived drug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: David H. Sherman, Michael Marie Kaufman-Schofield, Sunit Jain, Gregory Dick
  • Patent number: 9994888
    Abstract: The subject of the present invention is a process for preparing a genetically modified yeast by multicopy integration of at least four expression cassettes, allowing the production of a molecule of interest at high titer. The subject of the present invention is also yeasts transformed according to said process, and the use thereof for producing hydrocortisone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: SANOFI
    Inventors: Corinne Brocard-Masson, Isabelle Bonnin, Bruno Dumas
  • Patent number: 9976130
    Abstract: This invention is directed toward a non-wild-type organophosphorus acid anhydrolase enzyme having two site mutations, method of production, and method of use to more effectively degrade toxic organophosphorus compounds and, in particular, toxic chemical GD (3,3-Dimethylbutan-2-ylmethylphosphonofluoridate), than the wild type organophosphorus acid anhydrolase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Mark A Guelta, Melissa M. Dixon, Steven P. Harvey
  • Patent number: 9968885
    Abstract: Use of Sulfurihydrogenibium sp. carbonic anhydrase (SspCA) or mutants thereof for catalyzing the hydration reaction of CO2 into bicarbonate and hydrogen ions or catalyzing the desorption reaction to produce a CO2 gas is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: CO2 Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Daigle, Éric Madore, Sylvie Fradette
  • Patent number: 9969988
    Abstract: The present invention provides a pipecolic acid 4-hydroxylase protein exemplified by the following (A), (B), and (C), having activity to react with L-pipecolic acid in the presence of 2-oxoglutaric acid and iron(II) ions to produce trans-4-hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid, and a method for producing 4-hydroxy amino acid, which method comprises reacting the pipecolic acid 4-hydroxylase protein, cells containing the protein, a treated product of the cells, and/or a culture liquid obtained by culturing the cells, with ?-amino acid to produce 4-hydroxy amino acid: (A) a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, or 18; (B) a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, or 18 except that one or several amino acids are deleted, substituted, and/or added, and having pipecolic acid 4-hydroxylase activity; and (C) a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence that is not less than 80% identical to the amino acid sequence rep
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: API CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Hibi, Jun Ogawa, Ryoma Miyake, Hiroshi Kawabata