Assoc.Prof. YAMAGUCHI Nobutoshi
Plant Stem Cell Regulation and Floral Patterning
Please tell us about your own research and what you find interesting about it.
Plants can change their shape and adaptability in response to environment. I am studying the molecular mechanisms behind this regulation. Prior to the changes in shape and adaptability, gene expression patterns need to be properly reprogrammed. When, where, and how the reprogramming occurs are addressed by molecular genetics, biochemistry, and bioinformatics.
Please tell us about the difficulties and joys of the research field.
It is hard, but interesting to examine when, where and how gene expression patterns are reprogrammed. If gene expression analyses are conducted in the wrong place or at the wrong timing, it will not fit with what you would expect from the changes in shape or adaptability in response to environment. I always change materials and apply new methods to obtain cool and promising data.
Please tell us about the expected results and social significance of the project.
To understand how plants control their shape and adaptability in response to environment is the first step towards their manipulation. I hope that the results obtained from my research will lead to create useful plants with bigger fruits or resistance against global warming, and hence the realization of a sustainable society.
A message of support for students who are about to take the exam
“Why don’t you use what you learned at university to understand how plants live or adapt?”
In NAIST, we address what no one knows so far. Just like getting a job with a college degree, I think exploring how plants live or adapt with the knowledge or experimental skills you learned at university is another meaningful way of life.
What websites, books, review articles, and so on, do you recommend for studying in order to apply for the lab ?
How to beat the heat: Memory mechanism allows plants to adapt to heat stress
http://www.naist.jp/en/research_achievements/2021/06/008003.html
What do you do to keep yourself fresh?
To spend time with my family and dogs in a mountain lodge or a seaside hotel.