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Fukui Lab
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The lab studies and makes use of microbes that thrive at high temperatures and microbes that produce plastics.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding and harnessing the abilities of microbes.
Fukui Lab studies biotechnology, aiming to understand and make use of the fascinating abilities of microorganisms.
Most organisms live at around 30°C, but microorganisms called hyperthermophiles thrive at temperatures of 90°C or higher.
Some microbes also store polyesters rather than polysaccharides inside their cells, and these polyesters are expected to serve as materials to replace petroleum-based plastics.
With these two types of microbes as its main subjects, the lab aims to investigate the abilities of tiny microorganisms and put them to practical use.
Key terms
- Hyperthermophile
- A microorganism that prefers and grows in high-temperature environments of 90°C or higher. Hyperthermophiles are found in places such as hot springs, volcanoes, and the deep seafloor
- Thermostable enzyme
- An enzyme that keeps working without breaking down even at high temperatures. It is valued in industry because it can be used for a long time across a wide range of temperatures
- Biodegradable plastic
- Plastic that, after use, is broken down by microorganisms in nature into water and carbon dioxide, returning to nature
NewsLab news
A doctoral student won a poster award at an international conference on biobased polymers
A paper by a doctoral student was published in Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
A doctoral student won the Student Best Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Biotechnology, Japan
A paper on polyester production was published in journals including Microb. Cell Fact.
An undergraduate student won the Excellent Presentation Award and the Takamiya Award at the Bachelor's Specific Research Project Presentation
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to elucidate the unique metabolic mechanisms of hyperthermophilic archaea, and to discover and use thermostable enzymes that function even at high temperatures. It also works on the synthesis of biodegradable polymers, focusing on polyesters produced by microbes.
*Illustrative imageEnzymes and Metabolism of Hyperthermophilic Archaea
The lab studies hyperthermophiles that grow at 90°C or higher, elucidating their unique mechanisms and metabolism. It examines the functions of thermostable proteins produced by hyperthermophiles using genetic engineering, protein engineering, and genome engineering techniques.
*Illustrative imageMicrobial Synthesis of Biodegradable Polymers
The lab discovered in soil a microbe that produces a flexible copolyester from plant oils and sugars. Using microbes in which the genes for this biosynthesis have been recombined, it studies how to efficiently accumulate biodegradable plastics.
MembersFaculty
Fukui Lab's members include faculty, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and technical staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorToshiaki FukuiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorIzumi OritaPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
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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: “Yellowstone National Park (WY, USA), Grand Prismatic Spring” Dietmar Rabich / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Enzymes and Metabolism of Hyperthermophilic Archaea: “Biology-10-00387-g001” Nils-Kåre Birkeland, Boyke Bunk, Cathrin Spröer, Hans-Peter Klenk, Peter Schönheit / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Microbial Synthesis of Biodegradable Polymers: “BiodegradablePlasticUtensils1” Scott Bauer / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (八波研究室): “Salin de Gruissan (Ifremer )” Isabelle Cheret / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (平沢研究室): “Stainless steel vinification tanks” Cjp24 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (田中
(寛)・吉田研究室): “Leaf epithelium, guard cells, stomatal pore and peripheral chloroplasts” Emilio Ermini / CC BY 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (金原研究室): “Lipid Bilayer” US gov / Public domain (cropped)
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