Patents by Inventor Kaoru Okakura

Kaoru Okakura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10017756
    Abstract: What is aimed at is provision of an inexpensive and efficient saccharification method for lignocellulose using a thermostable xylanase and provision of a mutant xylanase that has a substitute amino acid residue, and that exhibits stable activity even under severe conditions in which enzymes easily inactivate, and that provides an initial rate of reaction not significantly reduced as compared to a wild-type xylanase corresponding to the mutant xylanase. Provided is a method of producing a saccharified product of lignocellulose, including contacting a lignocellulosic raw material with a thermostable xylanase, and a mutant xylanase that provides an initial rate of reaction that is at least 70% of that provided by a wild-type xylanase corresponding thereto, that has a xylanase activity after heat treatment at 50° C. for 24 hours that is at least 50% of its xylanase activity before the heat treatment, and that has a substitute amino acid residue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignees: MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC., MEIJI SEIKA PHARMA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisaaki Yanai, Hiroki Tamai, Masami Osabe, Fumikazu Yokoyama, Kaoru Okakura, Atsushi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20170107502
    Abstract: What is aimed at is provision of an inexpensive and efficient saccharification method for lignocellulose using a thermostable xylanase and provision of a mutant xylanase that has a substitute amino acid residue, and that exhibits stable activity even under severe conditions in which enzymes easily inactivate, and that provides an initial rate of reaction not significantly reduced as compared to a wild-type xylanase corresponding to the mutant xylanase. Provided is a method of producing a saccharified product of lignocellulose, including contacting a lignocellulosic raw material with a thermostable xylanase, and a mutant xylanase that provides an initial rate of reaction that is at least 70% of that provided by a wild-type xylanase corresponding thereto, that has a xylanase activity after heat treatment at 50° C. for 24 hours that is at least 50% of its xylanase activity before the heat treatment, and that has a substitute amino acid residue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Applicants: MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC., MEIJI SEIKA PHARMA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisaaki YANAI, Hiroki TAMAI, Masami OSABE, Fumikazu YOKOYAMA, Kaoru OKAKURA, Atsushi INOUE
  • Patent number: 9567617
    Abstract: What is aimed at is provision of an inexpensive and efficient saccharification method for lignocellulose using a thermostable xylanase and provision of a mutant xylanase that has a substitute amino acid residue, and that exhibits stable activity even under severe conditions in which enzymes easily inactivate, and that provides an initial rate of reaction not significantly reduced as compared to a wild-type xylanase corresponding to the mutant xylanase. Provided is a method of producing a saccharified product of lignocellulose, including contacting a lignocellulosic raw material with a thermostable xylanase, and a mutant xylanase that provides an initial rate of reaction that is at least 70% of that provided by a wild-type xylanase corresponding thereto, that has a xylanase activity after heat treatment at 50° C. for 24 hours that is at least 50% of its xylanase activity before the heat treatment, and that has a substitute amino acid residue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignees: MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC., MEIJI SEIKA PHARMA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisaaki Yanai, Hiroki Tamai, Masami Osabe, Fumikazu Yokoyama, Kaoru Okakura, Atsushi Inoue
  • Patent number: 9540617
    Abstract: A modified polynucleotide has a different base sequence in at least one codon from a wild-type base sequence encoding a horseradish peroxidase polypeptide. The usage frequency of the modified codon of the polynucleotide corresponds to the codon usage frequencies of three filamentous fungal species in Humicola, Aspergillus, and Trichoderma. The polynucleotide is capable of expressing the polypeptide to be encoded in a filamentous fungus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: MEIJI SEIKA PHARMA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Fumikazu Yokoyama, Kaoru Okakura, Atsushi Inoue, Koichiro Murashima, Toshiaki Nagasato, Koji Yanai, Akitaka Nakane
  • Patent number: 9512409
    Abstract: An object is to efficiently produce thermostable catalase at low cost by expressing it as a recombinant protein in large quantity. A recombinant microorganism capable of efficiently expressing thermostable catalase can be provided by obtaining a DNA necessary for efficiently producing it as a recombinant protein, and the thermostable catalase can be efficiently produced at low cost by cultivating the obtained recombinant microorganism. Hydrogen peroxide can be efficiently decomposed at low cost, even at high temperature, by treating a solution containing hydrogen peroxide with the thermostable catalase of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: MEIJI SEIKA PHARMA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Okakura, Fusuke Mazuka, Takayoshi Fukushima, Koichiro Murashima
  • Patent number: 9394554
    Abstract: What is aimed at is provision of an inexpensive and efficient saccharification method for lignocellulose using a thermostable xylanase and provision of a mutant xylanase that has a substitute amino acid residue, and that exhibits stable activity even under severe conditions in which enzymes easily inactivate, and that provides an initial rate of reaction not significantly reduced as compared to a wild-type xylanase corresponding to the mutant xylanase. Provided is a method of producing a saccharified product of lignocellulose, including contacting a lignocellulosic raw material with a thermostable xylanase, and a mutant xylanase that provides an initial rate of reaction that is at least 70% of that provided by a wild-type xylanase corresponding thereto, that has a xylanase activity after heat treatment at 50° C. for 24 hours that is at least 50% of its xylanase activity before the heat treatment, and that has a substitute amino acid residue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignees: Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisaaki Yanai, Hiroki Tamai, Masami Osabe, Fumikazu Yokoyama, Kaoru Okakura, Atsushi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20160168555
    Abstract: What is aimed at is provision of an inexpensive and efficient saccharification method for lignocellulose using a thermostable xylanase and provision of a mutant xylanase that has a substitute amino acid residue, and that exhibits stable activity even under severe conditions in which enzymes easily inactivate, and that provides an initial rate of reaction not significantly reduced as compared to a wild-type xylanase corresponding to the mutant xylanase. Provided is a method of producing a saccharified product of lignocellulose, including contacting a lignocellulosic raw material with a thermostable xylanase, and a mutant xylanase that provides an initial rate of reaction that is at least 70% of that provided by a wild-type xylanase corresponding thereto, that has a xylanase activity after heat treatment at 50° C. for 24 hours that is at least 50% of its xylanase activity before the heat treatment, and that has a substitute amino acid residue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Applicants: Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisaaki YANAI, Hiroki TAMAI, Masami OSABE, Fumikazu YOKOYAMA, Kaoru OKAKURA, Atsushi INOUE
  • Patent number: 9181537
    Abstract: By having a cellulase preparation comprising at least a certain amount of endoglucanases derived from two different types of microorganisms, the cellulase preparation can be provided with a higher activity and a wider pH property than those of cellulase preparations each containing one of the endoglucanases alone. Moreover, by introducing and expressing simultaneously two different types of cellulase genes in a single host cell, a cellulase preparation having a high activity and a wide pH property can be produced easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: MEIJI SEIKA PHARMA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Okakura, Koichiro Murashima
  • Publication number: 20150140574
    Abstract: A modified polynucleotide has a different base sequence in at least one codon from a wild-type base sequence encoding a horseradish peroxidase polypeptide. The usage frequency of the modified codon of the polynucleotide corresponds to the codon usage frequencies of three filamentous fungal species in Humicola, Aspergillus, and Trichoderma. The polynucleotide is capable of expressing the polypeptide to be encoded in a filamentous fungus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: MEIJI SEIKA PHARMA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Fumikazu Yokoyama, Kaoru Okakura, Atsushi Inoue, Koichiro Murashima, Toshiaki Nagasato, Koji Yanai, Akitaka Nakane
  • Publication number: 20150132820
    Abstract: An object is to efficiently produce thermostable catalase at low cost by expressing it as a recombinant protein in large quantity. A recombinant microorganism capable of efficiently expressing thermostable catalase can be provided by obtaining a DNA necessary for efficiently producing it as a recombinant protein, and the thermostable catalase can be efficiently produced at low cost by cultivating the obtained recombinant microorganism. Hydrogen peroxide can be efficiently decomposed at low cost, even at high temperature, by treating a solution containing hydrogen peroxide with the thermostable catalase of the present invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Applicant: MEIJI SEIKA PHARMA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru OKAKURA, Fusuke MAZUKA, Takayoshi FUKUSHIMA, Koichiro MURASHIMA
  • Patent number: 8975053
    Abstract: An object is to efficiently produce thermostable catalase at low cost by expressing it as a recombinant protein in large quantity. A recombinant microorganism capable of efficiently expressing thermostable catalase can be provided by obtaining a DNA necessary for efficiently producing it as a recombinant protein, and the thermostable catalase can be efficiently produced at low cost by cultivating the obtained recombinant microorganism. Hydrogen peroxide can be efficiently decomposed at low cost, even at high temperature, by treating a solution containing hydrogen peroxide with the thermostable catalase of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaoru Okakura, Fusuke Mazuka, Takayoshi Fukushima, Koichiro Murashima
  • Publication number: 20140322764
    Abstract: What is aimed at is provision of an inexpensive and efficient saccharification method for lignocellulose using a thermostable xylanase and provision of a mutant xylanase that has a substitute amino acid residue, and that exhibits stable activity even under severe conditions in which enzymes easily inactivate, and that provides an initial rate of reaction not significantly reduced as compared to a wild-type xylanase corresponding to the mutant xylanase. Provided is a method of producing a saccharified product of lignocellulose, including contacting a lignocellulosic raw material with a thermostable xylanase, and a mutant xylanase that provides an initial rate of reaction that is at least 70% of that provided by a wild-type xylanase corresponding thereto, that has a xylanase activity after heat treatment at 50° C. for 24 hours that is at least 50% of its xylanase activity before the heat treatment, and that has a substitute amino acid residue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2012
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventors: Hisaaki Yanai, Hiroki Tamai, Masami Osabe, Fumikazu Yokoyama, Kaoru Okakura, Atsushi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20120100578
    Abstract: By having a cellulase preparation comprising at least a certain amount of endoglucanases derived from two different types of microorganisms, the cellulase preparation can be provided with a higher activity and a wider pH property than those of cellulase preparations each containing one of the endoglucanases alone. Moreover, by introducing and expressing simultaneously two different types of cellulase genes in a single host cell, a cellulase preparation having a high activity and a wide pH property can be produced easily.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Applicant: MEIJI SEIKA PHARMA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Okakura, Koichiro Murashima
  • Publication number: 20100330646
    Abstract: An object is to efficiently produce thermostable catalase at low cost by expressing it as a recombinant protein in large quantity. A recombinant microorganism capable of efficiently expressing thermostable catalase can be provided by obtaining a DNA necessary for efficiently producing it as a recombinant protein, and the thermostable catalase can be efficiently produced at low cost by cultivating the obtained recombinant microorganism. Hydrogen peroxide can be efficiently decomposed at low cost, even at high temperature, by treating a solution containing hydrogen peroxide with the thermostable catalase of the present invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventors: Kaoru Okakura, Fusuke Mazuka, Takayoshi Fukushima, Koichiro Murashima
  • Patent number: 7790430
    Abstract: Disclosed is a novel cellulose having an amino acid sequence in which the 162nd and/or 166th amino acid residues in the amino acid sequence of cellulose NCE5 are substituted. Further, a polynucleotide encoding the novel cellulose, an expression vector containing the polynucleotide, a host cell transformed with the expression vector, and a cellulose preparation and a washing composition containing the cellulose are disclosed. The cellulose of the present invention is resistant to surfactants, and maintains a high activity even under alkaline conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaoru Okakura, Koji Yanai
  • Publication number: 20080199938
    Abstract: Disclosed is a novel cellulose having an amino acid sequence in which the 162nd and/or 166th amino acid residues in the amino acid sequence of cellulose NCE5 are substituted. Further, a polynucleotide encoding the novel cellulose, an expression vector containing the polynucleotide, a host cell transformed with the expression vector, and a cellulose preparation and a washing composition containing the cellulose are disclosed. The cellulose of the present invention is resistant to surfactants, and maintains a high activity even under alkaline conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Inventors: Kaoru OKAKURA, Koji Yanai
  • Patent number: 7374921
    Abstract: Disclosed is a novel cellulase having an amino acid sequence in which the 162nd and/or 166th amino acid residues in the amino acid sequence of cellulase NCE5 are substituted. Further, a polynucleotide encoding the novel cellulase, an expression vector containing the polynucleotide, a host cell transformed with the expression vector, and a cellulase preparation and a washing composition containing the cellulase are disclosed. The cellulase of the present invention is resistant to surfactants, and maintains a high activity even under alkaline conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaoru Okakura, Koji Yanai
  • Patent number: 7285404
    Abstract: The present invention provides an enzyme that synthesizes a cyclic depsipeptide, particularly the substance 1022, and a gene thereof. A cyclic depsipeptide synthetase according to the present invention comprises (a) an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or (b) a modified amino acid sequence of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 that have one or more modifications selected from a substitution, a deletion, an addition and an insertion and has cyclic depsipeptide synthetase activity. A cyclic depsipeptide synthetase gene according to the present invention comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding a cyclic depsipeptide synthetase. The present invention also provides a recombinant vector and a transformant for expressing the cyclic depsipeptide synthetase, and a mass production system for the cyclic depsipeptide. The present invention further provides a method for producing the cyclic depsipeptide synthetase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Midoh, Kaoru Okakura, Koichi Miyamoto, Manabu Watanabe, Koji Yanai, Tetsuya Yasutake, Sato Aihara, Takafumi Futamura, Horst Kleinkauf, Takeshi Murakami
  • Patent number: 7256031
    Abstract: The invention is to provide a novel ?-glucosidase and a gene that codes for the enzyme, and to develop a technique of utilizing the ?-glucosidase or a composition that contains the enzyme for processing plants or plant-derived substances. According to the invention, there are provided a novel enzyme showing a ?-glucosidase activity and derived from filamentous fungi of the genus Acremonium, a gene that codes for the enzyme, a method of using the gene for expressing ?-glucosidase, an enzyme composition that contains ?-glucosidase, and a method of processing plants or plant-derived substances with the enzyme or the enzyme compositions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignees: Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd., National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Fukasawa, Chuhei Nojiri, Nobuo Matsuhashi, Koji Nishizawa, Kaoru Okakura, Takashi Yamanobe
  • Patent number: 7109018
    Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a transformant altered so as to produce a secondary metabolite in which a benzene ring of the secondary product is modified at the para-position with a functional group containing a nitrogen atom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Yanai, Kaoru Okakura, Shohei Yasuda, Manabu Watanabe, Koichi Miyamoto, Naoki Midoh, Takeshi Murakami