Metabolic network biology Lab
NEWS
Apr 24, 2023
We're excited to announce the launch of our new website!
https://www.metabolic-network-biology-lab.com/
June 22, 2022
Published Matsui et al. "Ethanol induces heat tolerance in plants by stimulating unfolded protein response", Plant Mol Biol (2022) [Paper] [Press release in Japanese]
June 24, 2021
Published Aono et al. "High-Throughput Chlorophyll and Carotenoid Profiling Reveals Positive Associations with Sugar and Apocarotenoid Volatile Content in Fruits of Tomato Varieties in Modern and Wild Accessions", Metabolites (2021) [Paper] [Press release in Japanese]
Sep 7, 2020
Press release: Mutant Tomato Helps to Crack the Secrets of Fruiting [Paper]
Aug 5, 2020
Published Utsumi et al. "Integrative omics approaches revealed a crosstalk among phytohormones during tuberous root development in cassava", Plant Mol Biol (2020) [Paper] [Press release in Japanese]
June 9, 2020
Press release: Using multiomics in an agricultural field, scientists discover that organic nitrogen plays a key role in plant growth [Paper]
June 15, 2020
Published Shukurova et al. "Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds in Wild Indigenous Medicinal Ginger (Zingiber barbatum Wall.) from Myanmar", Metabolites (2020) [Paper]
Feb 18, 2020
Published Maruyama et al. "Metabolite/phytohormone-gene regulatory networks in soybean organs under dehydration conditions revealed by integration analysis", Plant J (2020) [Paper]
Feb 17, 2020
Published Kusano et al. "Cytosolic GLUTAMINE SYNTHETASE1;1 Modulates Metabolism and Chloroplast Development in Roots", Plant Physiol (2020) [Paper]
Feb 14, 2020
Published Fukushima et al. "Metabolite and Phytohormone Profiling Illustrates Metabolic Reprogramming as an Escape Strategy of Deepwater Rice during Partially Submerged Stress", Metabolites (2020) [Paper]
Our lab at a glance
Human has a long and intimate association with plants to maintain life. Plants have great and specific ability to produce primary metabolites by assimilating inorganic compounds such as carbon dioxide, ammonium, sulfur and phosphate. Plants can produce secondary metabolites by metabolizing primary metabolites to survive their growing environmental conditions. Secondary metabolites are not always necessary for human life, but they can give us benefit for hearth and cosmetics. Such metabolites are called as “specialized metabolites.”
We aim to investigate a linkage of biological events and metabolic regulations in complex metabolic networks in plants. Our laboratory is applying an integrative approach with large-scale experiments, so-called ‘omics’ data including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Rapid technological advances in high-throughput experiment based on mass spectrometry (MS) have enabled us to simultaneously detect a wide range of small molecules, while the use of RNA sequencing as well as microarray techniques provides comprehensive information at the transcript changes.
[Current Research topics]
Integrated “Omics” analysis of model plants, crops, vegetables and foods
Organic carbon (C) and organic nitrogen (N) balance in central metabolism
Metabolic regulation toward environmental differences in plants
Volatile organic compound (VOC) profiling in plants and environments
Fruit flavor
Sakura
Soil
Quantification and/or qualification of metabolite composition associated with important metabolic traits
lettuce
coffee
Scientific interest of our laboratory
We aim to uncover how plants regulate metabolite production for the survival of their life
Current Research topics
- Integrated “OmicS” analysis of model plants, crops, vegetables and foods
Organic carbon (C) and organic nitrogen (N) balance in central metabolism
Evaluation of metabolite composition using multi-MS based metabolite profiling
Metabolic network biology using “omics” datasets
- Development of analytical methods to capture quantitative and qualitative changes of metabolite levels in organisms
Volatile organic compound profiling
High-throughput screening for important metabolic traits
PROFILE - Prof. Miyako Kusano
[Official title]
Professor
Ph.D.(Agriculture)
[Laboratory]
Metabolic Network Biology Laboratory
[Research area]
Metabolomics, Systems Biology, Natural Product Chemistry
[Education]
2000 Ph.D. Tottori University, Japan
[Work Experience]
2000-2002 Posdoc, Akita Prefectural University
2002-2004 Posdoc, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
2004-2005 Posdoc, Ehime Women's College
2005-2012 Research scientist, RIKEN Plant Science Center (PSC)
2012-2013 Senior research scientist, RIKEN PSC
2013-2014 Senior research scientist, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS)
2014-present Professor, University of Tsukuba
[Recent publications (see below)]
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0052-6155
Publons: https://publons.com/researcher/1592587/miyako-kusano/
Loop: https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/26119/overview
researchmap: https://researchmap.jp/miku-met013/?lang=english
TRIOS: https://trios.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/researcher/0000003575
[CONTACT]
Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan
(tel) +81-29-853-4809 (e-mail) Kusano.Miyako.fp [AT] u.tsukuba.ac.jp