工学部_研究紹介_2019_英語版

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Degradation and Utilization of Biomass！〜Improvement of enzyme by gene manipulation technique〜Wearetryingtofindusefulenzymesfrommicrobes,andutilizethemtodecomposebiomass.Biomassisarenewableresourceandisdegradedbymicrobialenzymesinnature.Thisdegradationisaveryefficientsystemthemicrobeshavedevelopedintheprocessofevolution.Inordertousethisforourtargetreaction,enzymesmustbeisolatedandtheirstabilityandactivitymustbeimproved.Wouldyouliketojoinourteamtoexploretheabilityofmicrobialenzymesanddevelopbiomassutilization?Thereareinfinitetypesofmicrobesandmostofthemareunidentified.Amongthem,theremaybeanavailableonewhichproducesusefulenzymesforhumanbeings.Inourlab,weusegenemanipulationtoincreaseenzymeproductivityandimproveenzymefunction.Enzymescatalyzethespecificreactionundermildconditions.Biomassandenzymeswillplayanincreasinglyimportantroleaswetrytoestablishasustainablechemicalprocess.Enzymeshavebeenusedinthefieldsofchemistry,medicine,food,agriculture,andfibers.Theexperimentaltechniquesthestudentslearninourlab.willbeusefulinthefieldsofchemistryandbiology.Inordertodomoreadvancedresearch,somestudentsgoontograduateschools.KouichiNozaki, Ph.D.Associate Prof.2005-Associ. Prof. Research fields: Biological chemistry and Genetic engineering of enzymes. The scientific research and its application of microbial enzymes.DNAextractiontouseforgenemanipulation(left),Isolationofmicrobeasepticallyincleanbench(right).Aspergillusoryzaeproducingrecombinantenzymefrommushroom.Celluloseinplantcellwallvisualizedbyfluorescentprotein.Nozaki LabIn the FutureAfter GraduationBacterial Cellulose Nanofiber-Amazing World of Fiber Spinning by Bacteria -MizunoLabCelluloseisproducedbysomekindsofbacteriaaswellasplants.Itiscalledasbacterialcelluloseormicrobialcellulose,andisusedforvariousindustrialpurposes.Inourlaboratory,wefocusonthefunctionoftheproteincomplexparticipatingincellulosebiosynthesis,whichbehaveslikeafiberspinningmachine.Itistoosmalltoobservethestructureofthisproteincomplexbymicroscope.ThuswearetryingtostudyitsstructurebyX-raycrystallographicanalysisattheatomiclevel.Thewidthofcellulosefibrilextrudedfromasingleproteincomplexisabout1.5nm.Innature,thesecellulosefibersarebundledtoformcellulosefibers(10-100nm)basedon?thearrayofproteincomplexonthecellsurfaceandthemovementofbacterium.Ifthearrayofproteincomplexcanbecontrolled,itmightbepossibletomakeacellulosenanofiberwithavarietyofthicknessandlength.MasahiroMizuno2005: Ph.Dfrom Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology2017-: Associate Professor of Faculty of Engineering, Shinshu UniversityX-ray crystallography of carbohydrate related enzymes.TEM image of cellulose producing bacterium (left), and SEM image of bacteria cellulose (right).Crystals(0.2mm)(left)andthree-dimensionalstructure(right)oftheproteincomposingthecellulosespinningmachine.MoststudentsstayatShinshuUniversityfortheirgraduatestudies.Othersfindjobsinmanufacturingcompaniesinvariousfieldssuchaschemistry,electronics,andfood.In the FutureAfter GraduationMaterialsChemistryMaterialsChemistry15