Cellular Systems Chemistry

Cellular Systems Chemistry

Investigate cellular systems biology from the perspective of agricultural chemistry. 1) Understand the makeup of yeast cells, which are applied microorganisms, as a system and connect it to applications such as substance production. 2) Clarify the function of glycans that control the coordination of cellular systems and apply it.

	Prof. MORIYA Hisao E-mail: hisaom@(okayama-u.ac.jp) Eukaryotes, Systems Biology, Applied Microbiology Directory of Researchers Link to group homepage

We are focusing on yeast and using perturbations such as overexpression to understand the design principles of the system called a cell. Specifically, we are investigating questions such as “What kind of proteins are harmful when overexpressed?”, “What kind of harm do these proteins do to cells when overexpressed?”, and “What proteins work to the advantage of proliferation when overexpressed?”. From this investigation, we are progressing with the theme of considering the origin of cellular systems.

	Assoc. Prof. MAEDA Megumi E-mail: mmaeda@(okayama-u.ac.jp) Eukaryotes, Functional Glycobiochemistry, Immunology Directory of Researchers

Glycan (sugar chain or oligosaccharide) is one of essential biomolecules involved in various biological processes. Eukaryotic cells produce a large variety of glycans and often covalently couple these glycans to proteins or lipids. The resulting glycoconjugates play many critical roles in the development or growth of multicellular organisms (animals, plants and insects), and the glycan moieties are relevant to many human health issues and diseases, including viral infection, allergy, and cancer. The research goal is to unravel the latent biofunctions of glycans and apply the decoded glycan-functions to the development of new glycodrugs, functional foods, and plant breeding.