RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science Plant Immunity Research Group

Group Director: Ken Shirasu (Ph.D.)

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Research Summary

Our group’s ultimate goal is to fully describe functions of genes, proteins and small molecular compounds that are essential for immunity in plants. As the first step, we focus on regulatory mechanism of immunity by studying dynamics of resistance signaling complexes and protein modifications that control defense responses. In addition, we plan to identify novel genes involved in plant immunity by isolating defense mutants in model plants. We also collaborate with the Metabolomics Research Group to isolate small molecule compounds involved in disease resistance.

Main Research Fields

Biology

Related Research Fields

Agricultural Sciences

Keywords

Plant Immunity
Plant-Microbe Interactions
Genomics
Plant Chemical Biology
Signal Transduction

Selected Publications

1. Laohavisit A, Wakatake T, Ishihama N, Mulvey H, Takizawa K, Suzuki T, Shirasu K.:
"Quinone perception in plants via leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases"
Nature. (2020)
2. Wakatake T, Ogawa S, Yoshida S, Shirasu K.:
"Auxin transport network underlies xylem bridge formation between the hemi-parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum and host Arabidopsis"
Development. dev.187781. (2020)
3. Kurotani, K.-I., Wakatake, T., Ichihashi, Y., Okayasu, K., Sawai, Y., Ogawa, S., Suzuki, T., Shirasu, K., Notaguch, M.:
"Host-parasite tissue adhesion by a secreted type of β-1,4-glucanase in the parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum"
Comm Biol. 3: 407. (220)
4. Notaguchi M, Kurotani K-i, Sato Y, Tabata R, Kawakatsu Y, Okayasu K, Sawai Y, Okada R, Asahina M, Ichihashi Y, et al.:
"Cell-cell adhesion in plant grafting is facilitated by β-1,4-glucanases"
Science 369: 698-702. (2020)
5. Yoshida, S., Kim, S., Wafula, E. K., Tanskanen, J., Kim, Y. M., Honaas, L., Yang, Z., Spallek, T., Conn, C. E., Ichihashi, Y., Cheong, K., Cui, S., Der, J. P., Gundlach, H., Jiao, Y., Hori, C., Ishida, J. K., Kasahara, H., Kiba, T., Kim, M. S., Koo, N., Laohavisit, A., Lee, Y. H., Lumba, S., McCourt, P., Mortimer, J. C., Mutuku, J. M., Nomura, T., Sekimoto, Y. S., Seto, Y., Wang, Y., Wakatake, T., Sakakibara, H., Demura, T., Yamaguchi, S., Yoneyama, K., Manabe, R., Nelson, D. C., Schulman, A. H., Timko, M. P., dePamphilis, C. W., Choi, D., and Shirasu, K.:
"Genome sequence of Striga asiatica provides insight into the evolution of plant parasitism"
Curr. Biol. 29: 3041-3052.E4. (2020)
6. Kadota, Y., Liebrand, T. W., Goto, Y., Sklenar, J., Derbyshire, P., Menke, F. L., Torres, M., Molina, A., Zipfel, C., Coaker, G. and Shirasu, K.:
"Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis reveals common regulatory mechanisms between effector‐ and PAMP‐triggered immunity in plants"
New Phytol. 221:2160-2175. (2019)
7. Tsushima, A., Gan, P., Kumakura, N., Narusaka, M., Takano, Y., Narusaka, Y., Shirasu, K.:
"Genomic plasticity mediated by transposable elements in the plant pathogenic fungus Colletotrichum higginsianum"
Geome Biology and Evolution, evz087. (2019)
8. Spallek, T., Melnyk, C.W., Wakatake, T., Zhang, J., Sakamoto, Y., Kiba, T., Yoshida, S., Matsunaga, S., Sakakibara, H., Shirasu, K.:
"Inter-species hormonal control of host root morphology by parasitic plants"
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 114:5283-5288. (2017)
9. Ishida, J. K., Wakatake, T., Yoshida, S., Takebayashi, Y., Kasahara, H., Wafula, E., dePamphilis, C. W., Shigetou N., Shirasu, K.:
"Local auxin biosynthesis mediated by a YUCCA flavin monooxygenase regulates the haustorium development in the parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum"
Plant Cell 28:1795-1814. (2016)
10. Mutuku, J.M., Yoshida, S., Shimizu, T., Ichihashi, Y., Wakatake., T., Seo, M., Takahashi., A., Shirasu, K.:
"The WRKY45-dependent signaling pathway is required for resistance against Striga parasitism"
Plant Physiol 168:1152-1163. (2015)