Research
Solanaceous crops include the most economically important genus of Solanum (tomato, potato, and eggplant) and Capsicum (peppers). Whole genome sequencing of tomato, potato, and pepper had been finished. My group (Horticultural Molecular Breeding Laboratory) studies Solanaceae genomics to strive for enhancement of crop functions.
We study that genome-wide survey of gene families related plant-environment interaction in Solanaceous plants, mainly pepper and tomato. Mostly, the interested genes are recognition receptors such as NBS-LRR (NLR) and RLP/RLK to reveal plant-microbe interaction and resistance mechanism as well as their evolutionary history. We also focus on TF (transcription factors) that play key roles in many biological processes, especially to adapt environmental stresses.
Main areas of research are
1) Genome-widely, identifying gene families related with plant environment interaction (biotic/abiotic stresses) and their comparative analysis in Solanaceous plants (pepper, tomato and potato)
2) Accelerating gene cloning and development of advanced molecular breeding technology supported by integrating molecular genetics and genomics in pepper
3) Characterizing and understanding molecular pathways of plant immunity in pepper via functional genomics
4) Understanding the evolutionary history of diversification and conservation of environmental regulation related gene families in plants
5) Enhancement of crop function by investigation of crop holobiome