Shunji TAKAHASHI - Unit Leader

Shunji TAKAHASHI
Shunji TAKAHASHI
Ph.D Senior Research Scientist

Natural Product Biosynthesis Research Unit - Unit Leader

INTEREST OF MY RESEARCH

Streptomyces produces a wide variety of chemicals such as polyketide, non-ribosomal peptide, terpenoid compounds. The understanding of biosynthetic mechanisms and the utilization of unique enzymes open a way to expand chemical diversity of natural products. To address the mysterious biosynthetic pathway, I mainly utilize the genetic approaches including gene disruption and complementation. My work is focused on the biochemical analysis of unique enzymes reaction which can not be performed by chemical synthesis, and on structural-functional relationship study using X-ray crystal data. In addition, I am interested in the development of methods to activate or awake secondary metabolite gene clusters which have been found by the analysis of Streptomyces genome sequence.

EDUCATION
1988-1992
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Horticulture, Chiba University
1992-1997
Graduate Course, Department of Bioresources Chemistry, Faculty of Horticulture, Chiba University
DEGREES
B.S. (1992)
Chiba University
Ph.D. (1997)
Chiba University
APPOINTMENTS
1997-1998
Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Tokyo
1998-2002
Research Associate, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University
2002-2004
Postdoctoral Scholar, Agronomy department, University of Kentucky
2004-2005
Research Associate, University of Kentucky
2005-2007
Postdoctoral Researcher, Antibiotics Laboratory, RIKEN
2007-2013
Senior Research Scientist, Chemical Biology Department, RIKEN ASI
2009-2013
Senior Research Scientist,Chemical Biology Core Facility, RIKEN ASI
2013.Apr.-
Natural Product Biosynthesis Research Unit, Chemical Biology Research Group, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES
  • The Society for Actinomycetes Japan
  • Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry
  • The Japanese Biochemical Society
  • Japanese Society for Chemical Biology
  • Japanese Society for Biological Science in Space
MY HOBBY
Chatting with drinking wine
LIST OF SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
  1. Takahashi S., Yeo YS, Zhao Y, O'maille PE, Greenhagen BT, Noel JP, Coates RM, Chappell J.
    Functional characterization of premnaspirodiene oxygenase, a cytochrome P450 catalyzing regio- and stereo-specific hydroxylations of diverse sesquiterpene substrates.
    J Biol Chem., 282 (43): 31744-31754 (2007).
  2. Takahashi S*., Yeo Y.-S., Greenhagen B.T., McMullin T., Song L., Maurina-Brunker J, Rosson R., Noel J.P. and Chappell J.
    Metabolic Engineering of Sesquiterpene Metabolism in Yeast.
    Biotech. Bioeng., 97, 170-181 (2007). *corresponding
  3. Takahashi S., Zhao Y., O' Maille P.E., Greenhagen B.T., Noel J.P., Coates R.M. and Chappell J.
    Kinetic and molecular analysis of 5-epi-aristolochene-1,3-dihydroxylase, a cytochrome P450
    J. Biol. Chem. 280, 3686-3696 (2005)
  4. Kuzuyama T.*, Takahashi S*., Takagi M. and Seto H.
    Characterization of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase, an enzyme involved in isopentenyl diphosphate biosynthesis, and identification of its catalytic amino acid residues.
    J. Biol. Chem., 275 (26): 19928-19932 (2000）. *equal contribution
  5. Takahashi S., Kuzuyama T., Watanabe H. and Seto H.
    A novel 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase catalyzing the formation of 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate in an alternative non-mevalonate pathway for terpenoid biosynthesis.
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 95: 9879-988 （1998）.