[Publication] The blast pathogen effector AVR-Pik binds and stabilizes rice heavy metal-associated (HMA) proteins to co-opt their function in immunity. (Nov 2024)

[Publication] Impact of rice GENERAL REGULATORY FACTOR14h (GF14h) on low-temperature seed germination and its application to breeding (Aug 2024)

[Publication] V-primer: software for the efficient design of genome-wide InDel and SNP markers from multi-sample variant call format (VCF) genotyping data (Sep 2023)

[Publication] Upcycling rice yield trial data using a weather-driven crop growth model (Jul 2023)

[Publication] Whole-genome analysis of recombinant inbred rice lines reveals a quantitative trait locus on chromosome 3 with genotype-by-environment interaction effects (Apr 2023)

[Publication] Disentangling the complex gene interaction networks between rice and the blast fungus identifies a new pathogen effector (Jan 2023)

[Publication] Rice apoplastic CBM1-interacting protein counters blast pathogen invasion by binding conserved carbohydrate binding module 1 motif of fungal proteins (Sep 2022)

[Notice] We released new pipelines of MutMap and QTL-seq. [Go to]

Making use of the diversity present in cultivated and wild rice species, as well as utilizing over 12,000 EMS mutant lines we generated in an elite Japonica cultivar, our goals is to isolate and characterize genes and QTLs controlling important traits such as plant architecture, disease resistance, stress tolerance, and yield in rice. Through close collaboration with the Iwate Agricultural Research Center (IARC), we are conducting field trials using mapping populations (F2, RILs, and Nested Association Mapping populations) in a large rice paddy field. Our approach combines the classical map-based cloning techniques with the power of next-generation sequencing to accelerate the isolation of important genes in cereal crops.

Rice blast, caused by an ascomycete fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is the most severe disease of rice throughout the world.  We identified three novel avirulence genes, AVR-Pia, AVR-Pii, AVR-Pik/km/kp from M. oryzae.  We also isolated rice resistance gene Pia consisting of two adjacent NBS-LRR protein genes, confers resistance to M. oryzae carrying the AVR-Pia.

We are trying to do a functional analysis of the AVR genes of  M.oryzae and rice R genes and elucidate molecular plant-microbe interactions.

To facilitate the utilization of our mutant lines and the natural variation in Oryza species for rice improvement, we are developing novel methodologies that use new sequencing technology for the rapid isolation of important genes and QTLs.  The published MutMap and QTL-seq methods are examples to this end. 

We are also performing de novo genome assemblies of the cereal crop varieties and the non-model plant genome using long-read sequencing technologies.