RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science Natural Product Biosynthesis Research Unit
Unit Leader: Shunji Takahashi (D.Sc.)
Research Summary

Microorganism such as actinomycetes and filamentous fungi is a rich repository of valuable secondary metabolite. The understanding of biosynthetic mechanism is important to utilize microbial metabolites efficiently. Therefore we elucidate a key reaction of biosynthetic pathway by genetic and biochemical methods. We diversify microbial metabolites by modifying gene cluster and pathway engineering. In addition to the utilization of transcriptional regulators, we develop novel methods of activating biosynthetic gene cluster by small molecules, and create natural products. We construct microbial biosynthetic platform and efficiently produce valuable natural products using genetic resources from nature.
Main Research Fields
- Complex Systems
Related Research Fields
- Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering
- Biological Sciences
Keywords
- Biosynthesis of natural product
- Microorganism
- Utilization of sleeping genes
- Regulation of gene expression
- Biosynthetic platform
Selected Publications
- 1.Amagai K., Ikeda H., Hashimoto J., Kozone I., Izumikawa M., Kudo F., Eguchi T., Nakamura T., Osada H., Takahashi S., and Kazuo Shin-ya K.:
"Identification of gene cluster for telomestatin biosynthesis and efficient production in heterologous host using specific promoter." Sci. Rep. 7: 3382 (2017). - 2.Ray L., Valentic T., Miyazawa T., Withall D.M., Song L., Milligan J.C., Osada H., Takahashi S., Tsai S.-C., and Challis G.L.:
"A crotonyl-CoA reductase-carboxylase independent pathway for assembly of unusual alkylmalonyl-CoA polyketide synthase extender units."
Nat. Commun. 7:13609 (2016). - 3.Shinohara Y., Takahashi S., Osada H., and Koyama Y.:
"Identification of a novel sesquiterpene biosynthetic machinery involved in astellolide biosynthesis."
Sci. Rep. 6: 32865 (2016). - 4.Miyazawa T., Takahashi S., Kawata A., Panthee S., Hayashi T., Shimizu T., Nogawa T., and Osada H.:
"Identification of middle chain fatty acyl-CoA ligase responsible for the biosynthesis of 2-alkylmalonyl-CoAs for polyketide extender unit."
J. Biol. Chem. 290, 26994-27011 (2015). - 5.Kato N., Nogawa T., Hirota H., Jang J.-H., Takahashi S., Ahn J.S., Osada H.:
"A new enzyme involved in the control of the stereochemistry in the decalin formation during equisetin biosynthesis."
Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 460, 210-215 (2015). - 6.Takahashi, S., Nagano, S., Nogawa, T., Kanoh, N., Uramoto, M., Kawatani, M., Shimizu, T., Miyazawa, T., Shiro, Y., and Osada, H.:
"Structure-function analyses of cytochrome P450revI involved in reveromycin A biosynthesis and evaluation of the biological activity of its substrate, reveromycin T."
J. Biol. Chem. 289, 32446-32458 (2014). - 7.Takahashi, S., Toyoda, A., Sekiyama, Y., Takagi, H., Nogawa, T., Uramoto, M., Suzuki, R., Koshino, H., Kumano, T., Panthee, S., Dairi, T., Ishikawa, J., Ikeda, H., Sakaki, Y., and Osada, H.:
"Reveromycin A biosynthesis uses RevG and RevJ for stereospecific spiroacetal formation."
Nat. Chem. Biol. 7, 461-468 (2011). - 8.Panthee, S., Takahashi, S., Takagi, H., Nogawa, T., Oowada, E., Uramoto, M., and Osada, H.:
"Furaquinocins I and J: Novel polyketide isoprenoid hybrid compounds from Streptomyces reveromyceticus SN-593."
J. Antibiot., 64, 509-513 (2011). - 9.Kato, N., Tokuoka, M., Shinohara, Y., Kawatani, M., Uramoto, M., Seshime, Y., Fujii, I., Kitamoto, K., Takahashi, T., Takahashi, S., Koyama, Y., and Osada, H.:
"Genetic safeguard against mycotoxin cyclopiazonic acid production in Aspergillus oryzae."
Chembiochem. 12, 1376-1382 (2011). - 10.Takahashi, S., Takagi, H., Toyoda, A., Uramoto, M., Nogawa, T., Ueki, M., Sakaki, Y., and Osada, H.:
"Biochemical characterization of a novel indole prenyltransferase from Streptomyces sp. SN-593."
J. Bacteriol. 192, 2839-2851 (2010).
Related Links
Lab Members
Principal investigator
- Shunji Takahashi
- Unit Leader
Core members
- Yu Zheng
- Special Postdoctoral Researcher
- Nhu Ngoc Quynh Vo
- Postdoctoral Researcher
- Katsuyuki Sakai
- Postdoctoral Researcher
- Keisuke Fujiyama
- Visiting Researcher
- Hiroshi Takagi
- Technical Staff I
- Naoko Morita
- Technical Staff I
- Yuzhu Zhao
- Junior Research Associate
- Ya Fen Yong
- International Program Associate
Contact Information
403 Chemical Biology Building, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
Tel: +81-(0)43-467-4044
Fax: +81-(0)43-462-1353
Email: shunjitaka [at] riken.jp