Summary(E)

Research at the Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology

The research on the creation of plants with new functions which can contribute widely to the society is conducted at the Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology through the full use of biotechnology.
We are creating plants that produce useful substances by utilizing or enhancing the metabolic pathways of plants, crops that can grow even in soil lack of absorbable nutrient metal elements, crops with large amounts of iron and zinc, etc.

Research on mineral nutrition of plants

How plants (mainly rice) absorb minerals such as iron and zinc from the soil and transport them to leaves, fruits and seeds, and what molecules, proteins and genes are involved in the pathway is clarified. Using the genes revealed, we can create iron deficiency-tolerant crops, high-iron-containing crops, and so on.
・ Elucidation of the function of nicotianamine in higher plants
・ Control mechanism of gene expression by iron nutrition
・ Molecular mechanism of mugineic acid secretion
・ Stress tolerance mechanism of plants
・ Metal ion transporters of grasses
・ Creation of iron deficiency resistant plants
・ Nicotianamine synthase
・ Molecular mechanism of iron absorption, transfer and translocation in plants
・ Development of functional food nicotianamine rice
・ Zinc nutrition in plants

Creation of iron and zinc fortified crops (rice, sweet potato)

To solve iron and zinc deficiency, a problem mainly in developing countries, genes are introduced into rice and sweet potatoes, and more iron and zinc, which are essential trace metal elements, are taken in from the soil and stored in rice and potatoes. The rice and sweet potatoes can be cultivated and eaten by local people to eliminate iron and zinc deficiency and save children living in developing countries.

Creation of low-accumulation cadmium crops

Cadmium is a harmful heavy metal, which causes “Itai-itai disease”. We are working on creating safer low cadmium crops as food.

Creation of edible vaccines with useful substances

Infectious diseases have become a serious problem, especially in developing countries. In collaboration with the laboratory of Global Animal Resource Science, we are working on the creation of edible vaccines, which is a crop that produces and accumulates antigenic proteins that are important for immunity acquisition. We are also working on the production of useful substances using hairy roots.

Overseas field research

There are some examples of Overseas field research during master and doctor program.

Employment