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RIKEN ECL Research Team / RIKEN ECL Research Unit Microbial Genomics RIKEN ECL Research Unit

RIKEN ECL Unit Leader: Mizue Anda (Ph.D.)

Research Summary

Mizue Anda

In bacteria, essential genes are typically located on the chromosome, while plasmids carry genes that confer advantages such as antibiotic resistance. Our unit focuses on exceptional bacteria in which ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes exist only on small plasmids—contrary to this conventional view. We aim to elucidate how such seemingly unstable genome organizations are stably maintained and to reveal their biological significance. By investigating the generality of these newly discovered exceptions, we seek to provide novel insights into microbial genomics.

Main Research Fields

  • Biology

Related Research Fields

  • Agricultural Sciences
  • Biological Sciences
  • Genome biology

Keywords

  • Plasmid
  • rRNA gene
  • Bioinformatics
  • Non-model microorganisms

Selected Publications

Papers with an asterisk(*) are based on research conducted outside of RIKEN.

  • 1. *Masuda, S., Gan, P., Kiguchi, Y., Anda, M., Sasaki, K., Shibata, A., Iwasaki, W., Suda, W., and Shirasu, K.:
    "Uncovering plant microbiomes using long-read metagenomic sequencing"
    Communications Biology, 7, 357. (2024).
  • 2. *Anda, M., Yamanouchi, S., Cosentino, S., Sakamoto, M., Ohkuma, M., Takashima, M., Toyoda, A., and Iwasaki, W.:
    "Bacteria can maintain rRNA operons solely on plasmids for hundreds of millions of years"
    Nature Communications, 14, 7232. (2023).
  • 3. *Hiraoka, S., Okazaki, Y., Anda, M., Toyoda, A., Nakano, S., and Iwasaki, W.:
    "Metaepigenomic analysis reveals the unexplored diversity of DNA methylation in an environmental prokaryotic community"
    Nature Communications, 10, 159. (2019).
  • 4. *Le-Ha, T., Le, L., Le-Vo, H., Anda, M., Motooka, D., Nakamura, S., Tran, L.K., Tran, P.T., Iida, T., and Cao, V.:
    "Characterization of a carbapenem- and colistin-resistant Enterobacter cloacae carrying Tn6901 in blaNDM-1 genomic context"
    Infection and Drug Resistance, 12, 733–742. (2019).
  • 5. *Minami, T., Anda, M., Mitsui, H., Sugawara, M., Kaneko, T., Sato, S., Ikeda, S., Okubo, T., Tsurumaru, H., and Minamisawa, K.:
    "Metagenomic analysis revealed methylamine and ureide utilization of soybean-associated Methylobacterium"
    Microbes and Environments, 31, 268–278. (2016).
  • 6. *Anda, M., Ohtsubo, Y., Okubo, T., Sugawara, M., Nagata, Y., Tsuda, M., Minamisawa, M., and Mitsui, H.:
    "Bacterial clade with the ribosomal RNA operon on a small plasmid rather than the chromosome"
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112, 14343–14347. (2015).
  • 7. *Iida, T., Itakura, M., Anda, M., Sugawara, M., Isawa, T., Okubo, T., Sato, S., Kakizaki, K., and Minamisawa, K.:
    "Symbiosis island shuffling with abundant insertion sequences in the genomes of extra-slow-growing strains of soybean bradyrhizobia"
    Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 81, 4143–4154. (2015).
  • 8. *Bao, Z., Okubo, T., Kubota, K., Kasahara, Y., Tsurumaru, H., Anda, M., Ikeda, S., and Minamisawa, K.:
    "Metaproteomic identification of diazotrophic methanotrophs and their tissue localization in field-grown rice roots"
    Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 80, 5043–5052. (2014).
  • 9. *Anda, M., Ikeda, S., Eda, S., Okubo, T., Sato, S., Tabata, S., Mitsui, H., and Minamisawa, K.:
    "Isolation and genetic characterization of Aurantimonas and Methylobacterium strains from stems of hypernodulated soybeans"
    Microbes and Environments, 26, 172–180. (2011).
  • 10. *Ikeda, S., Anda, M., Inaba, S., Eda, S., Sato, S., Sasaki, S., Tabata, S., Mitsui, H., Sato, T., Shinano, T., and Minamisawa, K.:
    "Autoregulation of nodulation interferes with impacts of nitrogen fertilization levels on leaf-associated bacterial community in soybean"
    Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 77, 1973–1980. (2010).

Related Links

Lab Members

Principal investigator

Mizue Anda
RIKEN ECL Unit Leader

Contact Information

3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki,
305-0074 Japan
Email: mizue.anda@riken.jp

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