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Plant Gene Expression Lab
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A lab that investigates how plants make their aroma and medicinal compounds.
AboutAbout the lab
How are the compounds of one million plant species made?
The Plant Gene Expression Lab studies the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites (secondary metabolites) found in crops and medicinal plants that are familiar to people.
Specialized metabolites help plants defend against external threats and adapt to their environment, and they also support human life as raw materials for medicines, functional ingredients, natural pigments, and fragrances.
In addition to biosynthesis, the lab works to elucidate the mechanisms of transport, accumulation, and secretion of these compounds.
Key terms
- Specialized metabolites
- Compounds that plants make specially, used for defense, fragrance, and other purposes. Also called secondary metabolites
- Prenylation
- A reaction that attaches a small branch called a prenyl group to a molecule. It enhances the activity of the compound
- Volatile organic compounds
- Organic compounds released into the air, such as the scents of flowers
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites in crops and medicinal plants, and the mechanisms of their transport, accumulation, and secretion.
*Illustrative imagePrenyltransferases
Starting with the world's first report of a gene for a prenyltransferase that enhances the function of plant phenolic compounds, the lab has reported key genes for the biosynthesis of useful compounds such as hop bitter acids and artepillin C.
*Illustrative imageBiosynthesis of furanocoumarins
For furanocoumarins, which are found in citrus and other plants and have both beneficial and harmful effects, the lab identified biosynthetic enzyme genes in crops and proposed that different plant families independently acquired the ability to produce them.
*Illustrative imageTerpenes, the aroma compounds of plants
Among plant volatile organic compounds, which reach the atmosphere and even affect climate, the lab focuses on terpenes, the group with the largest emission and the greatest variety, and studies their biosynthesis.
*Illustrative imageLithospermum erythrorhizon (Murasaki) and shikonin
The lab investigates the biosynthesis and the mechanism of secretion out of cells of shikonin, the red pigment that accumulates in the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon (murasaki), a medicinal and dye plant. It also conducts genome analysis to help protect this endangered species.
MembersFaculty
- ProfessorAkifumi Sugiyama
- Assistant ProfessorRyosuke Munakata
- Project ProfessorKazufumi Yazaki
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: “Lithospermum erythrorhizon (Boraginaceae) ( )” yakovlev.alexey from Moscow, Russia / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Prenyltransferases: “PDB 1zdw EBI” Jawahar Swaminathan and MSD staff at the European Bioinformatics Institute / Public domain (cropped)
- Biosynthesis of furanocoumarins: “Nasnaran coumarin and furanocoumarin profile” Audray Dugrand-Judek, Alexandre Olry, Alain Hehn, Gilles Costantino, Patrick Ollitrault, Yann Froelicher , Frédéric Bourgaud / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Terpenes, the aroma compounds of plants: “Isoprene-3D-balls” Jynto and Ben Mills / Public domain (cropped)
- Lithospermum erythrorhizon (Murasaki) and shikonin: “Shikonin (NIH BioArt 492)” Courtesy of NIAID Ryan Kissinger / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (森林代謝機能化学分野): “Rosa epicuticular wax stoma” Plantsurfer at English Wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (バイオマス変換分野): “Lignin” Smokefoot / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (大気圏環境情報分野): “Air pollution3” Janak Bhatta / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (マテリアルバイオロジー分野): “Xylem rays” Adree.stem / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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