Sawai Satoru Assistant Professor
Satoru Sawai
AffiliationSection of Medicinal Resource Science, Division of Medicinal Resources, Department of Research and Development
Research fieldsPlant Molecular Biology, Plant Biotechnology
Campus careerPh.D. (Bioresource Sciences)
Biography University of Toyama Faculty Research Profiles
Education
Bachelor of Bioresource Sciences, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 2002
Master of Bioresource Sciences, Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 2004
Doctor of Bioresource Sciences, Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 2007
Job career
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Research Fellowship for Young Scientists (21COE) (2006–2007)
Research Scientist, Tokiwa Phytochemical Co., Ltd. (2007–2010)
Technical assistant, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University (2010)
Postdoctoral Researcher, RIKEN Plant Science Center (PSC) (2010–2013)
Researcher, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) (2013–2015)
Specially Appointed Researcher, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University (2015–2021)
Researcher, Research Center for Medicinal Plant Resources, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (2021–2024)
Assistant Professor, Institute of Natural Medicine, Univ. of Toyama, Toyama (2024–)
Research theme
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Outline of the research
Human beings have used plants that produce various compounds called specialized metabolites as medicinal plants, spices, toiletries, industrial materials, and so on. The specialized metabolites have improved human quality of life. Our research focuses on elucidating the biosynthetic mechanisms of the various plant specialized metabolites including active ingredients of the medicinal plants. We also work on researches for the breeding of plants producing the useful specialized metabolites and for the production of the specialized metabolites using (plant) metabolic engineering based on the findings of their biosynthetic mechanisms.
Thoughts on research
In general, it is considered that plants produce many kinds of compounds called specialized metabolites to adapt to their environments, because plants cannot move like animals. My research interests are actual individual reasons why plants produce specialized metabolites and processes how plants have evolutionarily developed production abilities of the diverse specialized metabolites. I believe that the elucidation of the biosynthetic mechanisms of the specialized metabolites leads me to find answers to my questions.
Paper
Fanani MZ†, Sawai S†, Seki H, Ishimori M, Ohyama K, Fukushima EO, Sudo H, Saito K, Muranaka T (2021) Allylic hydroxylation activity is a source of saponin chemodiversity in the genus Glycyrrhiza. Plant Cell Physiol 62: 262–271. †These authors contributed equally to this work.
Sawai S†, Ohyama K†, Yasumoto S, Seki H, Sakuma T, Yamamoto T, Takebayashi Y, Kojima M, Sakakibara H, Aoki T, Muranaka T, Saito K, Umemoto N (2014) Sterol side chain reductase 2 is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of cholesterol, the common precursor of toxic steroidal glycoalkaloids in potato. Plant Cell 26: 3763–3774. †These authors contributed equally to this work.
Seki H†, Sawai S†, Ohyama K†, Mizutani M, Ohnishi T, Sudo H, Fukushima EO, Akashi T, Aoki T, Saito K, Muranaka T (2011) Triterpene functional genomics in licorice for identification of CYP72A154 involved in the biosynthesis of glycyrrhizin. Plant Cell 23: 4112–4123. †These authors contributed equally to this work.
keyword
medicinal plants, plant specialized metabolism, biosynthesis, triterpnoids, saponins, metabolic engineering
