RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science Plant Genomic Network Research Team
Team Leader: Motoaki Seki (Ph.D.)
Research Summary

We are analyzing novel epigenetic, RNA and peptide regulation mechanisms in environmental stress adaptation and acclimation by cutting-edge genomic approaches. We aim to develop useful plant resources, such as stress-tolerant plants by use of chemical compounds etc. We are analyzing regulatory networks of tuber root development in cassava by integrated omics analyses and aim to develop useful cassava plants, such as improved plant productivity.
Main Research Fields
- Biology
Related Research Fields
- Biological Sciences
- Agricultural Sciences
Keywords
- Plant Functional Genomics
- Environmental Stress Adaptation
- Cassava
- Epigenetic Regulation
- RNA Regulation
Selected Publications
- 1.
Sako, K., Kim, J.M., Matsui, A., Nakamura, K., Tanaka, M., Kobayashi, M., Saito, K., Nishino, N., Kusano, M., Taji, T., Yoshida, M. and Seki, M.:
"Ky-2, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, enhances high-salinity stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana."
Plant Cell Physiol. 57, 776-783 (2016). - 2.
Kim, J.M., To, K.T., Matsui, A., Tanoi, K., Kobayashi, N.I., Matsuda, F., Habu, Y., Ogawa, D., Sakamoto, T., Matsunaga, S., Bashir, K., Rasheed, S., Ando, M., Takeda, H., Kawaura, K., Kusano, M., Fukushima, A., Endo, A.T., Kuromori, T., Ishida, J., Morosawa, T., Tanaka, M., Torii, C., Takebayashi, Y., Sakakibara, H., Ogihara, Y., Saito, K., Shinozaki, K., Devoto, A. and Seki, M.:
"Acetate-mediated novel survival strategy against drought in plants."
Nature Plants 3: 17097 (2017). - 3.
Nguyen, H.M., Sako, K., Matsui, A., Suzuki, Y., Mostofa, M.G., Ha, C.V., Tanaka, M., Tran, L.S.P., Habu, Y. and Seki, M.:
"Ethanol enhances high-salinity stress tolerance by detoxifying reactive oxygen species in Arabidopsis thaliana and rice."
Front. Plant Sci. 8: 1001 (2017). - 4.
Matsui, A., Iida, K., Tanaka, M., Yamaguchi, K., Mizunashi, K., Kim, J.M., Takahashi, S., Kobayashi, N., Shigenobu, S., Shinozaki, K. and Seki, M.:
"Novel stress-inducible antisense RNAs of protein-coding loci are synthesized by Arabidopsis RDRs."
Plant Physiol. 175, 457-472 (2017). - 5.
Ueda, M., Matsui, A., Tanaka, M., Nakamura, T., Abe, T., Sako, K., Sasaki, T., Kim, J.M., Ito, A., Nishino, N., Shimada, H., Yoshida, M. and Seki, M.:
"The distinct role of RPD3-like histone deacetylases between class I and II in salinity stress response."
Plant Physiol. 175, 1760-1773 (2017). - 6.
Nakaminami, K., Okamoto, M., Higuchi-Takeuchi, M., Yoshizumi, T., Yamaguchi, Y., Fukao, Y., Shimizu, M., Ohashi, C., Tanaka, M., Matsui, M., Shinozaki, K., Seki, M.* and Hanada, K.*.:
"AtPep3 is a hormone-like peptide that plays a role in salinity stress tolerance of plants."
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115, 5810-5815 (2018). - 7.
Rasheed, S.#, Bashir, K. #, Kim, J.M., Ando, M., Tanaka, M. and Seki, M.:
"The modulation of acetic acid pathway genes in Arabidopsis produces drought-stress tolerant plants."
Sci Rep, 8, 7831 (2018). - 8.
Sako, K., Futamura, Y., Shimizu, T., Matsui, A., Hirano, H., Kondoh, Y., Muroi, M., Aono, H., Tanaka, M., Honda, K., Shimizu, K., Kawatani, M., Nakano, T., Osada, H., Noguchi, K. and Seki, M.:
"Inhibition of mitochondrial complex I by the novel compound FSL0260 enhances high salinity-stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana."
Sci Rep, 10, 8691 (2020). - 9.
Utsumi, Y., Tanaka, M., Utsumi, C., Takahashi, S., Matsui, A., Fukushima, A., Kobayashi, M., Sasaki, R., Oikawa, A., Kusano, M., Saito, K., Kojima, M., Sakakibara, H., Sojikul, P., Narangajavana, J. and Seki, M.:
"Integrative omics approaches revealed a crosstalk among phytohormones during tuberous root development in cassava."
Plant Mol. Biol. in press (2020). - 10.
Tokunaga, H., Do, T.N.Q, Nguyen, H.A., Pham, T.N., Matsui, A., Takahashi, S., Tanaka, M., Ngo, M.A., Nguyen, V.D., Le, H.H., Higo, A., Truong, M.H., Ishitani, M., Nguyen B.N.M., Nguyen, H.H., Srean, P., Vu, A.T., Nguyen, B.T., Nguyen, A.V., Yamaguchi, K., Tsuji, H., Utsumi, Y. and Seki, M.:
"Field transcriptome analysis reveals a molecular mechanism for cassava-flowering in a mountainous environment in Southeast Asia."
Plant Mol. Biol. (in press) (2020)
Recent Research Results
Dec. 20, 2022
Ethanol preps rice and wheat for droughtSep. 30, 2022
Ethanol helps plants better tolerate heat stressDec. 17, 2021
Healthier tapioca starch is on the wayNov. 27, 2020
Environmental cues control cassava floweringMay 17, 2018
Plant peptide spells relief from salty stressOct. 30, 2015
Plant stress adaptation in the hot seat
Events
Related Links
Lab Members
Principal investigator
- Motoaki Seki
- Team Leader
Core members
- Kentaro Nakaminami
- Research Scientist
- Yoshinori Utsumi
- Research Scientist
- Minoru Ueda
- Research Scientist
- Hiroki Tokunaga
- Research Scientist
- Daisuke Todaka
- Research Scientist
- Maho Tanaka
- Technical Staff I
- Junko Ishida
- Technical Staff I
- Satoshi Takahashi
- Technical Staff I
- Chikako Utsumi
- Technical Staff II
Contact Information
E818 East Research Building 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
Tel: +81-(0)45-503-9587, 045-503-9622(PHS)
Fax: +81-(0)45-503-9584