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Plant Molecular Genetics


Prof. Shimamoto
ProfessorF Ko SHIMAMOTO
Assistant ProfessorF Hiroyuki Tsuji, Yoji Kawano, Ken-ichiro Taoka
E-mail { simamoto, tsujih, y-kawano, ktaoka }@bs.naist.jp
URLF http://bsw3.naist.jp/simamoto/simamoto.html
Overview
  Rice is an important source of food for humans. Its genome has been completely sequenced recently. Furthermore, gene transfer is easy with rice, and many mutants are available. These features make rice a suitable material for studies of molecular biology. Our laboratory gPlant Molecular Geneticsh is aimed at clarifying various phenomena of plants at the molecular level, using rice as a material. It is also aimed to apply research outcomes for rice improvement in the future.
  The research at this laboratory employs the following techniques: gene isolation by map-based cloning, transformation, RNA interference (RNAi), isolation of interacting proteins by the yeast two-hybrid method and affinity chromatography, proteomics using a mass spectrometry.

Research Areas
  1. Plant innate immunity
    • Role of small G-protein Rac in plant immunity
    • Signal transduction pathways in plant immunity
  2. Regulation of flowering
    • Search for gflorigenh- flower inducing hormone
    • Induction of flowering by day length (photoperiod)
  3. Rice improvement by genetic engineering
    • Disease-resistant rice
    • Modification of flowering time
  4. Bio-imaging of plant cells
    • FRET biosensor
    • In vivo imaging of protein-protein interaction

References
Plant immunity
  1. Kawano, Y. et al., Cell Host Microbe, 7, 362-375, 2010
  2. Chen, L. et al., Cell Host Microbe, 7, 185-196, 2010
  3. Fujiwara, T, et al., J Biol Chem. 285: 11308-11313, 2010
  4. Nakashima, A. et al., Plant Cell, 20, 2265-2279, 2008
  5. Wong, H.L. et al., Plant Cell, 19, 4022-4034, 2007
  6. Thao, N.P. et al., Plant Cell, 19, 4035-4045, 2007
Florigen and flowering regulation
  1. Tsuji, H. et al., Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 14: 45-52, 2011
  2. Takahashi, Y. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 106: 4555-4560, 2009
  3. Komiya, R. et al., Development 136: 3443-3450, 2009
  4. Komiya, R. et al., Development, 135, 767-774, 2008
  5. Tamaki, S. et al., Science, 316, 1033-1036, 2007
  6. Hayama, R. et al., Nature, 422, 719-722, 2003
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Fig. 1   The Defensome complex containing small GTPase OsRac1 plays important roles in rice innate immunity.

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Fig. 2   Florigen: the mobile flowering signal.

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Fig. 3   FRET biosensor to monitor activation state of OsRac1, a key regulator of rice innate immunity