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Natural Products Chemistry and Biology Lab
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A lab that explores the structures, biosynthesis, and functions of natural compounds such as marine toxins.
AboutAbout the lab
Using toxins as clues to uncover how natural products work.
The Natural Products Chemistry and Biology Lab studies natural organic compounds with high physiological activity.
The lab searches for and isolates these compounds, determines their structures, and investigates the organisms they originate from, as well as their biosynthesis, metabolism, and mechanisms of action.
It focuses in particular on marine toxins that cause food poisoning, including pufferfish toxin and paralytic shellfish toxins.
The lab also identifies the target proteins on which these compounds act and studies their structures and functions.
Key terms
- Tetrodotoxin
- A natural toxin known as pufferfish toxin. This lab studies its biosynthesis and its binding to sodium channels.
- Biosynthesis
- The sequence of reactions by which living organisms build compounds from raw materials inside the body.
- LC-MS
- An analytical method that separates the components of a mixture by liquid chromatography and then identifies each compound by mass spectrometry.
- Voltage-gated sodium channel
- A protein in the cell membrane that allows sodium ions to pass in response to electrical signals. It is involved in the function of nerves and muscles.
ResearchResearch themes
The lab searches for natural organic compounds with high physiological activity and investigates their structures, biosynthesis, and mechanisms of action. Centered on marine toxins that cause food poisoning, it also studies the structures and functions of the target proteins on which these compounds act.
*Illustrative imageOrigin and biosynthesis of pufferfish toxin
Based on the structures of analogs of the pufferfish toxin tetrodotoxin, the lab investigates its biosynthesis and its origins in marine and terrestrial environments. It also develops analytical methods such as LC-MS and studies binding to voltage-gated sodium channels.
*Illustrative imageOkadaic acid-binding proteins
The lab studies the structure and function of the okadaic acid-binding proteins found in the black sponge (Halichondria okadai), and why these proteins exist.
*Illustrative imageBiosynthesis and detoxification of paralytic shellfish toxins
Using chemical synthesis and LC-MS, the lab is clarifying the biosynthetic pathways of paralytic shellfish toxins. It also investigates the mechanisms by which these toxins are detoxified.
*Illustrative imageBiosynthesis of domoic acid and kainic acid
The lab investigates how domoic acid and kainic acid, the toxins responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning, are produced, and is also pursuing research on using enzymes to synthesize new kainoids.
MembersFaculty
The Natural Products Chemistry and Biology Lab consists of faculty members, academic researchers, and master's and undergraduate students. Faculty members from the Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences also take part in supervision.As of 2026
- ProfessorMari Yamashita
- Associate ProfessorKeiichi Konoki
- Associate ProfessorYuta Kudo
- Assistant ProfessorYuko Cho
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “Thermo LC (Liquid Chromatograph) + LTQ (Linear Trap Quadrupole)” Michael Pereckas from Milwaukee, WI, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Origin and biosynthesis of pufferfish toxin: “Young species of Tetraodontidae (fugu)” jim / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Okadaic acid-binding proteins: “Sea Urchin On Sponge ( )” National Marine Sanctuaries / Public domain (cropped)
- Biosynthesis and detoxification of paralytic shellfish toxins: “Sayward Paralytic Shellfish Poison” Buiobuione / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Biosynthesis of domoic acid and kainic acid: “Pseudo-nitzschia granii” NASA. Credits: Adrian Marchetti. / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Bioactive Molecular Dynamics Lab): “Working in the Medicinal Chemistry Lab ( )” National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences from Bethesda, MD / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular Information Chemistry Lab): “Molecular ball-and-stick model of Perflubron, overlayed with electron-density coded VdW model” Piswind / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Applied Biomolecular Analysis Lab): “LOV2 domain of phototropin-2 protein from Arabidopsis thaliana” TBwichem / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Bioorganic Chemistry Lab): “Scientist of the Astrochemistry Laboratory works with a Rotary evaporator inside the Goddard Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory. Rotary evaporator is used to dry down Antarctic ice samples” NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA / Public domain (cropped)
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