Metabolomic Function Research Group
Group Director
Kazuki SAITO (Ph.D.)
Metabolomics involves in the identification and quantification of all metabolites in a cell, and correlating these to genomic functions. Metabolites in the plant kingdom are extremely diverse chemically, with estimates indicating as many as 200,000 different types of chemical substances. In this research group, we perform high-throughput metabolite analyses, and develop technologies for the comprehensive analysis of metabolites, mainly using high-resolution mass spectrometry. We also collaborate with other research teams within and outside the Center on non-targeted analyses and the identification of unknown gene functions. The various compounds produced by plants are important for the existence of the plant itself, and also play a vital role in our lives. We are investigating the basic principles behind the wide variety of plant production functions, using Arabidopsis as a model. We are also analyzing the production systems for specific products in crops, medicinal plants and other useful plants at a genome level. Another important aspect of our research is the direct application of the basic findings from these results to biotechnological application of plants.
- Development of precision, high-throughput analytical techniques using mass spectrometry for plant metabolomes
- Database construction for metabolite identification and bioinformatics for metabolomic data analysis
- Metabolomic analysis accompanying cell and functional differentiation, stress responses, and metabolic profiling in genetically modified plants and core collections of Arabidopsis, rice and plant species
- Comprehensive identification of genes involved in primary and secondary metabolite biosynthesis using post-genomic methods in Arabidopsis
- Identification of new genes and networks involved in the biosynthesis and accumulation of flavonoids, alkaloids, sulfur-containing constituents, vitamins, amino acids and other substances in non-model plants, and their application to the production of useful substance
- February 8, 2012
- New study sheds light on genetics of rice metabolism
- September 6, 2011
- New technique elucidates dynamics of plant cell metabolites
- February 17, 2011
- Metabolomics technique enables objective assessment of genetically-modified crops
- February 07, 2011
- Metabolic balance adjustment function of rice cytosolic glutamine synthase uncovered
- January 15, 2010
- Details uncovered of site-specific secondary metabolite biosynthesis by plants
- April 07, 2009
- Elucidating the close relationship between plant circadian clock and mitochondrial functions: Body clock regulation holds the key to the production of stress-tolerant plants and plants that produce useful substances
- March 13, 2009
- New gene involved in sulfo-lipid biosynthesis discovered through lipid metabolome analysis, revealing new possibilities for the production, by means of the regulation of sulfo-lipid biosynthesis, of plants tolerant to phospher-deficiency and plants that produce useful substances
- November 14, 2008
- Preparing a spectral library of tandem mass spectroscopy for plant secondary metabolites, collecting more than ten thousands spectra with Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant
- April 29, 2008
- Elucidating the mechanism of plants' tolerance of their own anti-tumor substance
- September 09, 2008
- Identifying an emzymic gene for synthase that synthesizes a component of a natural low-calorie sweetner
- September 02, 2008
- Establishment of a new synthetic route to a plant anti-oxidative flavonoid
- June 12, 2009
- All in the timing
Knocking out a clock gene in plant cells interrupts mitochondrial function and energy release
- January 30, 2009
- A sweet success
Genomic analysis helps scientists to start determining how licorice plants produce a highly beneficial compound
- December 12, 2008
- From genes to plant metabolism
An analytical survey maps out the genetic connections of the flavonols
- November 30, 2007
- Studying the metabolome to produce plants useful to mankind
- H. Seki*, S. Sawai*, K. Ohyama*, M. Mizutani, T. Ohnishi, H. Sudo, E. Odette Fukushima, T. Akashi, T. Aoki, K. Saito, T. Muranaka.(*equal contribution):
" Triterpene functional genomics in licorice for identification of CYP72A154 involved in the biosynthesis of glycyrrhizin"
Plant Cell, 23, 4112-4123 (2011) - M. Kusano, H. Redestig, T. Hirai, A. Oikawa, F. Matsuda, A. Fukushima, A. Masanori, S. Watanabe, M. Yano,
K. Hiwasa-Tanase, H. Ezura, K. Saito,:
" Covering chemical diversity of genetically-modified tomatoes using metabolomics for objective substantial equivalence assessment"
PLoS ONE, 6(2): e16989 (2011) - M. Kusano, M. Tabuchi-Kobayashi, A. Fukushima, K. Funayama, C. Diaz, M. Kobayashi, N. Hayashi, Y. Tsuchiya, H. Takahashi, A. Kamata, T. Yamaya, K. Saito,:
" Metabolomics data reveal a crucial role of cytosolic glutamine synthetase 1;1 in coordinating metabolic balance in rice"
Plant J., 66, 456-466 (2011) - K. Saito, F. Matsuda,:
" Metabolomics for functional genomics, systems biology, and biotechnology"
Annu. Rev. Plant Biol., 61, 463-489 (2010) - F. Matsuda, M. Y. Hirai, E. Sasaki, K. Akiyama, K. Yonekura-Sakakibara, N. J. Provart, T. Sakurai, Y. Shimada, K. Saito,:
" AtMetExpress development: A phytochemical atlas of Arabidopsis thaliana development"
Plant Physiol., 152, 566-578 (2010) - A. Fukushima, M. Kusano, N. Nakamichi, M. Kobayashi, N. Hayashi, H. Sakakibara, T. Mizuno, K. Saito,:
" Impact of clock-associated Arabidopsis pseudo-response regulators in metabolic coordination"
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 106, 7251-7256 (2009) - K. Yonekura-Sakakibara, T. Tohge, F. Matsuda, R. Nakabayashi, H. Takayama, R. Niida, A. Watanabe-Takahashi, E. Inoue, K. Saito,:
" Comprehensive flavonol profiling and transcriptome coexpression analysis leading to decoding gene-metabolite correlations in Arabidopsis"
Plant Cell, 20, 2160-2176 (2008) - M. Y. Hirai, K. Sugiyama, Y. Sawada, T. Tohge, T. Obayashi, A. Suzuki, R. Araki, N. Sakurai, H. Suzuki, K. Aoki, H. Goda, O. I. Nishizawa, D. Shibata, K. Saito,:
" Omics-based identification of Arabidopsis Myb transcription factors regulating aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis"
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 104, 6478-6483 (2007) - Y. Okazaki, M. Shimojima, Y. Sawada, K. Toyooka, T. Narisawa, K. Mochida, H. Tanaka, F. Matsuda, A. Hirai,
M. Y. Hirai, H. Ohta, K. Saito,:
" A chloroplastic UDP-Glucose pyrophosphorylase from Arabidopsis is the committed enzyme for the first step of sulfolipid biosynthesis."
Plant Cell, 21, 892-909 (2009) - M. Watanabe, K. Mochida, T. Kato, S. Tabata, N. Yoshimoto, M. Noji, K. Saito,:
" Comparative genomics and reverse genetics analysis reveal indispensable functions of the serine acetyltransferase gene family in Arabidopsis"
Plant Cell, 20, 2484-2496 (2008)
Principal Investigator
- Kazuki SAITO
- Group Director
Members
- Keiko SAKAKIBARA
- Senior Research Scientist
- Miyako KUSANO
- Research Scientist
- Yozo OKAZAKI
- Research Scientist
- Akira OIKAWA
- Research Scientist
- Ryo NAKABAYASHI
- Postdoctoral Researcher
- Satoru SAWAI
- Postdoctoral Researcher