石川 聖人
(いしかわ・まさひと)
Masahito Ishikawa
略歴
- 名古屋大学大学院工学研究科 博士後期課程修了
- 名古屋大学大学院工学研究科 研究員、東京大学大学院工学系研究科 特任研究員、東京大学先端科学技術研究センター 特任助教、名古屋大学大学院工学研究科 助教を経て本学へ
環境合成生物学研究室
卒業研究テーマ例
- リピート配列遺伝子の相同組換え保護機構の解明
- 細菌性ナノファイバータンパク質の連結反応の構築
- 高速増殖細菌の培養自動化
新しいゲノム操作技術の開発
ファイバータンパク質の分子紡績
高速増殖細菌の実験自動化
- 研究の応用領域
- ・微生物細胞の分子育種
・微生物生産の効率化
・遺伝子操作ツール開発 - 産官学連携で求めるパートナー
- ・国内外の大学
・研究機関
・創薬関連企業
・食品・化成品・医薬品等のバイオプロダクションに取り組んでいる企業
・バイオ機器メーカー
・大学、国・地方自治体の基礎研究機関
Solving environmental problems, a liability of the last century pursuiting efficiency and convenience, is a challenge for science and technology in this century and beyond. The issue at hand will be the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Biotechnology with microbial cells seems clean with low carbon dioxide emissions, but this is not necessarily the case. We promote synthetic biology research using microbial engineering, genetic engineering, and protein engineering with the aim of developing biotechnology that truly contributes to solving environmental problems. The research themes we are currently working on are as follows.
Development of new genome manipulation technologies
If the genome sequences of organisms used in the bioindustry could be rewritten into genome sequences designed to maximize cellular functions, it would be possible to drastically reduce the energy used in the manufacture and purification of products, thereby contributing to decarbonization. Genome editing is a fascinating technology to realize this goal, but existing technologies are highly efficient in gene knockout, but not efficient enough to rewrite the desired sequence. We are aiming to develop a new genome manipulation technology by focusing on the stabilization mechanism of bacterial repeat sequences. Biomolecules associated with bacterial repeat sequences have so far yielded technologies that support life science and biotechnology, such as restriction enzymes, TALEN, and CRISPR-Cas9. New technologies that will revolutionize the field will also be developed from the biological functions surrounding bacterial repeat sequences.
Molecular spinning of fiber proteins
Protein-based fibers that do not depend on petroleum as a raw material have attracted attention toward the realization of sustainable society. The advance in synthetic biology has facilitated this trend because it has become possible to produce large quantities of fibrous proteins by microorganisms. We have also succeeded in obtaining large amounts of nanofiber proteins, which we originally discovered, in microbial cells. In this research theme, we aim to develop a technology to connect these nanofiber proteins together and make them into fibers. In other words, we are aiming at molecular spinning of nanofiber proteins, similar to the spinning of short fibers into long threads by twisting them together.
Automation of experiments for fast-growing bacteria
In current life science and biotechnology research, E. coli is utilized as a factory for DNA constructs and protein productions. Since E. coli divides in just 20 minutes, many trials can be performed in a short period of time. Hence, E. coli has long been a favorite of biochemists and life scientist. However, due to the advance in reagents and equipment for biotechnology, automation of DNA synthesis, and their faster distribution, the time spent waiting for E. coli cell growth has rather become the rate-limiting step in research and development. The idea of using bacteria that multiply faster than E. coli comes to mind, but the story is not very simple. The growth rate of E. coli fits into our life cycle. If we start growing E. coli cells when we leave a laboratory in the evening, the number of E. coli cells will increase to just the right number the next morning. However, if you start growing for bacteria growing faster than E. coli in the evening, they will be at the right number at midnight or early morning the next day, which is a burden for an experimenter/worker who collects them. Therefore, we aim to accelerate life science and biotechnology research without burdening experimenters and workers by automating experiments using bacteria growing faster than E. coli.
Masahito Ishikawa, Takaaki Kojima, and Katsutoshi Hori “Development of a biocontained toluene-degrading bacterium for environmental protection”, Microbiol Spectr, e0025921 (2021)
Yan-yu Chen,† Yuki Soma,† Masahito Ishikawa,† Masatomo Takahashi, Yoshihiro Izumi, Takeshi Bamba, and Katsutoshi Hori “Metabolic alteration of Methylococcus capsulatus str. Bath during a microbial gas-phase reaction” Bioresour Technol, 330, pp.125002, (2021) †Authors equally contributed to this work.
Masahito Ishikawa,* Kazuki Kawai, Masahiro Kaneko, Kenya Tanaka, Shuji Nakanishi, and Katsutoshi Hori* “Extracellular electron transfer mediated by a cytocompatible redox polymer to study the crosstalk among the mammalian circadian clock, cellular metabolism, and cellular redox state” RSC Advances, 10(3), 1648-1657 (2020)
Kosaku Noba,† Masahito Ishikawa,† Atsuko Uyeda, Takayoshi Watanabe Takahiro Hohsaka Shogo Yoshimoto, Tomoaki Matsuura,* and Katsutoshi Hori* “Bottom-up creation of an artificial cell covered with the adhesive bacterionanofiber protein AtaA”, J Am Chem Soc, 141, 19058-19066 (2019) †Both authors equally contributed to this work.
Masahito Ishikawa, Sho Yokoe, Souichiro Kato, and Katsutoshi Hori “Efficient counterselection for Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) using a mutated pheS gene”, Appl Environ Microbiol., 84, e01875-18, (2018)