Research results of biofuel production basic technology
About transformation technology of microalgae Euglena
～ Progress to super Euglena development, patent pending ～

Kinki University
Euglena Co., Ltd.

Kinki University (Headquarters: Higashi-Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, President: Hitoshi Shiozaki), Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Bioscience, Professor Shigeoka Shigeoka, Associate Professor Masahiro Tamoi and Euglena Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, President: Mitsuru Izumo) are independent. Euglena" (Research representative: Takahiro Ishikawa, Professor of Shimane University) in "CREST" of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Euglena We are pleased to inform you that we have applied for two patents related to "method of introducing foreign gene into * 1" and "Euglena

　In this research, by elucidating the mechanism related to the wax ester fermentation pathway * 2 and transforming with useful genes * 3, we have higher photosynthetic activity and can produce wax ester, which is a raw material for fuel, at a high level. Euglena We are aiming to establish the basic technology for the production of.
　As a result of this technology establishment, Euglena Increased cell proliferation rate, increased cell size, increased amount of chlorophyll * 4, improved photosynthetic activity, etc. Euglena We are approaching the development of. Currently, we are proceeding with the acquisition of detailed data on the transformed strains that we have created.
　In the future, we will utilize this technology to further improve the production efficiency of wax esters toward the establishment of basic biofuel production technology.
　The details of the technology developed this time are as follows.

1. How to introduce a foreign gene into Euglena
Euglena The amount of DNA in cells is 50 to 100 times that of other algae and molds, and it is said to be characteristic of the genome of microorganisms. In addition, it is considered to be a genetically extremely stable organism, and it had the characteristic of being immediately eliminated even if a foreign gene was introduced.However, with this joint research, Euglena intracellular We have established a technology that stably maintains traits caused by foreign genes.

2. Euglena transformant
The Calvin cycle * 5 related enzyme gene derived from cyanobacteria Euglena cells to obtain a transformant that stably expresses a foreign gene. Euglena transformants obtained by this technique Euglena cell number, cell size, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic activity compared to untransformed wild strains.

■ Euglena (Period: 8 days)

■ Euglena cell proliferation rate (Period: 1st ... 13 days, 2nd ... 15 days)

■ Euglena cell size (Period: 6 days)

■ Euglena chlorophyll (duration: 14 days)

About Euglena Co., Ltd.
President and CEO: Mitsuru Izumo
Fund: 914.21 million yen
Main store: 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 7th floor, University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plaza
Listed Market: Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers
Business: We develop and sell functional foods and cosmetics using microalgae Euglena (Japanese name: Euglena), and conduct research for carbon dioxide fixation and biofuel production.

<Glossary>
* 1 Euglena (Japanese name: Euglena)
Motile unicellular microalgae (a type of algae). In addition to being a foodstuff with 59 kinds of abundant nutrients such as vitamins, essential amino acids, and DHA, it grows by photosynthesis while absorbing carbon dioxide and is a raw material for biofuel, which helps solve food problems and environmental problems. It is attracting attention as a material that bears the burden of.

* 2 Wax ester fermentation route
Euglena specific lipid synthesis pathway containing wax ester, which is a condensation of 14-carbon myristic acid and myristyl alcohol, as the main component. In the future, wax esters are expected to be used as biofuels and cosmetics.

* 3 Transformation
Introducing a gene sequence from the outside to change the genetic properties of an individual or cell.

* 4 Chlorophyll (chloroplast)
A green pigment compound that absorbs the light energy of photosynthesis contained in plants and algae. It is an essential component for photosynthesis in which plants use light energy to synthesize sugars from water and carbon dioxide.

* 5 Calvin cycle
A typical carbon dioxide fixation reaction in a photosynthetic reaction. Almost all green plants and photosynthetic bacteria have this circuit.

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Euglena Co., Ltd. Public Relations and IR Division