Seminar room, 14 March 2017, 16.00-18.00 WIB

Flavonoids are secondary plant metabolites. Recently, flavonoids have gained much attention due to their wide range of features beneficial to human health. One of the most abundant flavonoids in citrus families is the flavanone naringenin, which is accumulated as glycosides with terminal rhamnose (Rha). The linkage type of Rha residues contribute to the bitterness of citrus fruit (1). Rha residues are attached by either an a1,2- or an a1,6-rhamnosyltransferase (1,2RhaT or 1,6RhaT). The RhaTs cDNAs from pummelo (Citrus maxima) and orange (C. sinensis) have been isolated. However, to elucidate the enzyme characterisitics, such as the substrate preference, the UDP-Rha as substrate is not available. We developed an efficient UDP-Rha in vivo production system using the engineered fission yeast expressing Arabidopsis rhamnose synthase (AtRHM2), and then examined t enzyme characterisitics using recombinant RhaT proteins, heterologously produced in fission yeast.

In addition, I will introduce other research topics on Hepatitis B, antibody production by tobacco plants, production of lipids and proteins by microbial cells isolated in Thailand together with research activities of the Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Univ.

Takao Ohashi, Ryo MISAKI, Kazuhito FUJIYAMA*

International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University

E-mail:             ohashi@, misaki@, fujiyama@icb.osaka-u.ac.jp*
Webpage: http://www.icb.osaka-u.ac.jp/fujiyama_lab_e/index.html