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Applied Microbiology Lab
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A lab that uncovers the unknown functions of microorganisms and turns them into new biotechnology.
AboutAbout the lab
Uncovering the unknown functions of microorganisms
The Applied Microbiology Lab studies the unique functions and metabolism of microorganisms.
The lab works with microbes that use hydrogen to make organic compounds from carbon dioxide, methanogenic archaea that produce natural gas underground, and microbes involved in the fermentation of indigo dyeing.
The lab searches for microorganisms with new functions, uncovers the mechanisms behind them, enhances those functions through genetic engineering, and aims to apply them to new biotechnology.
The lab also hunts for microbes that make people say, “Wow, microbes can do that too?”
Key terms
- Hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria
- Bacteria that use hydrogen as an energy source to make organic compounds from carbon dioxide. They can grow even in places without light.
- Archaea
- Also known as archaebacteria, a group of microorganisms distinct from bacteria. Some of them produce methane.
- L-sugars
- Sugars whose shape is the mirror image of D-sugars, which organisms normally use. They hardly exist in nature.
NewsLab news
Prof. Kato's review article on methane production was published in the journal of the Society for Environmental Biotechnology
A paper on a collaborative study showing bacteria that grow on electricity in deep-sea hydrothermal areas was published in ISME J
ResearchResearch themes
The lab focuses on the unique functions and metabolism of microorganisms, searching for microbes with new functions, elucidating their mechanisms, and improving them through genetic engineering. Using these, it aims to develop biotechnology that helps solve social issues such as those related to the environment, energy, and food.
*Illustrative imageMetabolism and Material Production in Hydrogen-Oxidizing Bacteria
Focusing on hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria, which fix CO2 using hydrogen as an energy source, the lab investigates at the molecular level the metabolic mechanisms that underlie their extremely rapid growth. It aims to apply this knowledge to technologies that convert CO2 into useful resources.
*Illustrative imageUsing Chemically Synthesized Organic Compounds with Microbes
The lab is developing technology that uses, as microbial feedstock, organic compounds that can be produced quickly by chemical catalytic reactions but tend to come out as mixtures of many types. In collaboration with a group at Osaka University, it is also conducting research using sugars synthesized by catalysts.
*Illustrative imageMicrobes That Consume Sugars Rarely Found in Nature
The lab searches for microbes that can use sugars that hardly exist in nature, such as L-sugars, and for “super sweet-tooth microbes” that can use every kind of sugar. It investigates their metabolic pathways and enzymes.
*Illustrative imageMethane-Producing Microbes
The lab studies the symbiosis between microbes that is essential for methane production. Currently, it is working to elucidate the methanol-mediated symbiosis involved in the formation of natural gas underground.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Applied Microbiology Lab include faculty, postdoctoral researchers, technical assistants, administrative assistants, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorSouichiro KatoPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorMasafumi KameyaPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Colonie batteriche o vita marina?” Chiara.marraccini / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Metabolism and Material Production in Hydrogen-Oxidizing Bacteria: “Cupriavidus necator” Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Using Chemically Synthesized Organic Compounds with Microbes: “Pg166 bioreactor” Genome Management Information System, Oak Ridge National Laboratory / Public domain (cropped)
- Microbes That Consume Sugars Rarely Found in Nature: “Sugar macro camera” Zoran Ugrenovic / CC0 (cropped)
- Methane-Producing Microbes: “Methanosarcina barkeri MS” Microvenator / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Fermentation Microbiology Lab): “Streptomyces griseus on chocolate agar (Espinoza 2022)” Carlos Espinoza, Pedro Morales, Brenda Perez, Alvaro Hu / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Pedosphere Science Lab): “Soil profile 0-125cm” Mclund / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Food Function Science Endowed Lab): “DNA microarray chip” ErikAbner / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Microbial Ecotechnology Social Cooperation Lab): “Разнообразие почвенной микрофлоры в чашке Петри” Oksana Lastochkina / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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