JP
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Core Laboratories
Laboratory of Bioresource Technology

SUZUKI Masashi Assoc. Prof. Ph.D.

Theme

Plant biotechnology, Virology, Phytopathology

Keyword

Viral function, RNA, Virus vector, Pathogenicity

Message

My main research subject is plant viruses, which can be considered the smallest living organisms. How do plant viruses make plants disease, and how do plants try to overcome the viruses? Our goal is to develop plants that are resistant to virus diseases and to utilize viruses as useful bio-resources by clarifying the interactions between viruses and plants using molecular biological techniques.

Introduction

I first became interested in viruses when I observed virus particles under an electron microscope as a student experiment. I then cloned and sequenced the genes of several plant RNA viruses, transcribed them in vitro, and successfully infected plants with them.
Viruses have been thought to co-evolving with plants for a long time, the gene expression of viruses and the response of plants against virus infection are very interesting to both virus and plant research. Therefore, studying the interaction between viruses and plants may reveal previously unknown gene expression in plants.

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    Electron micrograph of Peanut stunt virus

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    The author observing disease symptoms on plants

Biography

2005 - Present Associate Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
2001 - 2005 Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University
1997 Ph. D. Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo
1996 - 2001 Assistant professor, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo
1989 - 1996 Research Fellow, Institute of Life Sciences, JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
1989 M. Sc. Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo
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