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Masuda Lab
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The lab that reads the workings of plants through the metabolism of chlorophyll and heme.
AboutAbout the lab
Tracing how plants make green, through metabolism.
The Masuda Lab analyzes plant metabolic systems using the metabolism of tetrapyrrole molecules as a clue.
The representative tetrapyrroles in plants are chlorophyll, which receives light energy in photosynthesis, and heme, which carries oxygen and transfers electrons.
Both are made through a shared biosynthetic pathway, but because they generate reactive oxygen species when exposed to light, their synthesis requires strict control.
The research began with the question of how plants achieve both strict control and active biosynthesis.
Key terms
- Tetrapyrrole
- A family of molecules with a structure of four linked rings. Chlorophyll and heme are representative examples.
- Chlorophyll
- The green pigment of leaves. In photosynthesis, it receives light energy and converts it into electrical energy.
- Heme
- A tetrapyrrole containing iron. In blood it carries oxygen, and in cells it acts as a coenzyme for enzymes.
NewsLab news
Paper on heme signaling published in Plant Physiology
Information session on entrance exams for the Department of Multidisciplinary Sciences (lab visits also available)
Paper co-authored by Assistant Professor Miyake published in Nature Communications
Press release on results of joint research with Kobe University
Co-authored paper selected as a featured paper in Plant Communications
ResearchResearch themes
The lab analyzes plant metabolic systems using the metabolism of tetrapyrrole molecules as an indicator. Its research proceeds along two main themes: regulation of the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway, and the expression of plant cell functions through heme metabolism and distribution.
*Illustrative imageRegulation of the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway
The lab found that genes of the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway are expressed together with nuclear-encoded photosynthesis genes. By manipulating a transcription factor regulated by light and plant hormones, it has also succeeded in making roots, which are normally not green, form chloroplasts and carry out photosynthesis.
*Illustrative imageHeme metabolism and transport within the cell
The lab was the first to clone a gene for a heme synthesis enzyme from a plant, and showed that heme is involved in defense responses, because the enzyme is induced by wounding stress. Since heme cannot diffuse within the cell, the lab is also analyzing the proteins that serve as its carriers.
MembersFaculty
The Masuda Lab consists of faculty members and doctoral and master's students.As of 2025
- ProfessorTatsuru MasudaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorKeita Miyake
- Project Assistant ProfessorMihoko Takenoya
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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: “Arabidopsis thaliana kz07” Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Regulation of the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway: “Moss chloroplasts 100× objective” Kelvinsong / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Heme metabolism and transport within the cell: “Crystal structure of human hemoglobin in the oxy form” PDB code 2DN1 1.25 a resolution crystal structures of human haemoglobin in the oxy, deoxy and carbonmonoxy forms. Park, S.-Y., Yokoyama, T., Shibayama, N., Shiro, Y., Tame, J.R. (2006) J Mol Biol 360: 690-701 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb. Image created using JSmol (Javascript) / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (池田(啓)研究室): “Alpine plants and rocks on Mount Shirouma” Alpsdake / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (金井研究室): “CSIRO ScienceImage 11431 Computer model image of a rogue wave smashing into a semisubmersible platform weighing around 32000 tonnes” division, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (土畑研究室): “Pristomyrmex punctatus ( )” harum.koh from Kobe city, Japan / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (
青木研究室): “Clover root nodules” Bwiltz / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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