We are now engaged in two major projects.
Elucidation of Control Mechanism of Flowering in Rice
Plants have developed the mechanism of flowering in responce to the change of day length (loong-day/short-day). However, the mechanism of flowering has been unkown; what gene is necessary for flowering; what rules over the difference between long-day plants and short-day plants. In our lab, we investigate how plants control flowering time by analyzing the mechanism of flowering in rice on molecular level.
Elucidation of Signaling Pathway in Plant Immunity
Crop yield is largely influenced by disease damages. To reduce disease damages, it is expected to strengthen disease resistance of plants. For this reason, it is necessary to understand the molecular mechanism of disease resistance which is presently unknown and to identify protein important to contribute to disease reisitance. By elucidating the protein interaction network of "Defesome," a protein complex containing small GTPase OsRac1, we are going to analyze the function of a protein complex related to disease resistance .