Current research
Plastid evolution by endosymbioses
Plastids evolved by multiple endosymbiotic events where a photosynthetic organism was ingested by a host eukaryote. In these events, numerous genes were lost and transferred from the endosymbiont to the host nuclear genome, and thus the endosymbiont was fully integrated with the host cell as an organelle. Several algal groups evolved complex plastids by the uptake of green and red algae. This is called "secondary endosymbiosis". Our goal is to understand the plastid evolution through secondary endosymbioses. We mainly use chlorarachniophyte algae that possess a secondy plastid of green algal origin. This algal group is of special interest, because their plastids harbor a relict endosymbiont nucleus “nucleomorph”, showing an intermediate stage of secondary endosymbioses (endosymbiont nuclei disappeared in most cases).
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Our research interests
- How does the host cell regulate the complex plastids?
Current research topics
- Genome and transcriptome analyses
- Proteome analyses of pyrenoid
- Organelle division machinery
- Unknown function plastid-targeted proteins
- Development of genetic transformation system
Development of genetic tools
We work on the development of genetic transformation system in marine microalgae to advance molecular cell biological studies in non-model organisms. This is a collaboration with Dr. Patrick Keeling (University of British Columbia), and supported by the Marine Microbiology Initiative program of Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
We work on the development of genetic transformation system in marine microalgae to advance molecular cell biological studies in non-model organisms. This is a collaboration with Dr. Patrick Keeling (University of British Columbia), and supported by the Marine Microbiology Initiative program of Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
