Message from the President

Akira Isogai

  Birth.1942.4.1

Academic Degree

• December 1973: Doctor of Agriculture (University of Tokyo)

Professional Background

• 1970-1980: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo
• 1980-1994: Associate Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo
• 1994-2005: Professor, Graduate School of Biological Sciences,
                         Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST)
• 1998-2000: Dean, Graduate School of Biological Sciences, NAIST
• 2004-2005: Dean, Graduate School of Biological Sciences, NAIST
  
• 2005-2007: Executive Director and Vice President, NAIST
  
• 2007-         : Professor Emeritus, NAIST
  
• 2009-         : President, NAIST
  

Scientific research fields

• Natural Products Chemistry (biologically active substances from microbes, plants and insects)
• Plant Science (self-incompatibility, plant innate immunity)

Academic and Social Activities

• 2003-2006: Senior Program Officer, Research Center for Science Systems,
                        Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
• 2007-2009: President, Japan Society of Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry
• 2005-         : Member of Science Council of Japan
  

Awards

• 1977          : The Japan Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry Society Award
                        for the Encouragement of Young Scientists
• 1996          : The Japan Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry Society Award
• 2002          : Japan Academy Prize
• 2008          : Persons of Cultural Merits

Major books and articles

1. Isogai, A., A. Suzuki & S. Tamura (1973). Structures of dimeric phenylpropanoids from Myristica fragrans Houtt. Agric. Biol. Chem.37, 193-194.
2. Sakagami, Y., M. Yoshida, A. Isogai & A. Suzuki (1981). Peptidal sex hormone inducing conjugation tube formation in compatible mating-type cells of Tremella mesenterica. Science 212, 1525-1527.
3. Nagasawa, H., H. Kataoka, A. Isogai, S. Tamura, A. Suzuki, H. Ishizaki, A. Mizoguchi, Y. Fujishita & A. Suzuki (1984). Amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the silkworm prothoracicotropic hormone: Homology with insulin. Science 226, 1344-1345.
4. Suzuki, A., M. Mori, Y. Sakagami, A. Isogai, M. Fujino, C. Kitada, R.A. Craig & D.B. Clewell (1984). Isolation and structure of bacterial sex pheromone, cPD1. Science 226, 849-850.
5. Takayama, S., A. Isogai, C. Tsukamoto, Y. Ueda, K. Hinata, K. Okazaki & A. Suzuki (1987). Sequences of S-glycoproteins, products of Brassica campestris self-incompatibility locus. Nature 326, 102-105.
6. Sakuda, S., M. Ono, K. Furihata, J. Nakayama, A. Suzuki & A. Isogai (1996). Aflastatin A, a novel inhibitor of aflatoxin production of Aspergillus papasiticus, from Streptomyces. J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 118, 7855-7856.
7. Takasaki, T., K. Hatakeyama, G. Suzuki, M. Watanabe, A. Isogai & K. Hinata (2000). The S receptor kinase determines self-incompatibility in Brassica stigma. Nature 403, 913-916.
8. Takayama, S., H. Shiba, M. Iwano, H. Shimosato, F.-S. Che, N. Kai, M. Watanabe, G. Suzuki, K. Hinata & A. Isogai (2000). The pollen determinant of self-incompatibility in Brassica campestris. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 1920-1925.
9. Takayama, S., H. Shimosato, H. Shiba, M. Funato, F.-S. Che, M. Watanabe, M. Iwano & A. Isogai (2001). Direct ligand-receptor complex interaction controls Brassica self-incompatibility. Nature 413, 534-538.
10. Shiba, H., M. Iwano, T. Entani, K. Ishimoto, H. Shimosato, F.-S. Che, Y. Satta, A. Ito, Y. Takada, M. Watanabe, A. Isogai & S. Takayama (2002). The dominance of alleles controlling self-incompatibility in Brassica pollen is regulated at the RNA level. Plant Cell 14, 491-504.
11. Murase, K., H. Shiba, M. Iwano, F.-S. Che, M. Watanabe, A. Isogai & S. Takayama (2004). A membrane-anchored protein kinase involved in Brassica self-incompatibilty signaling. Science 303, 1516-1519.
12. Shiba, H., T. Kakizaki, M. Iwano, Y. Tarutani, M. Watanabe, A. Isogai & S. Takayama (2006). Dominance relationships between self-incompatibility alleles controlled by DNA methylation. Nat. Genet. 38, 297-299.
13. Shimosato, H., N. Yokota, H. Shiba, M. Iwano, T. Entani, F.-S. Che, M. Watanabe, A. Isogai & S. Takayama (2007). Characterization of the SP11/SCR High-affinity binding site involved in self/nonself recognition in Brassica self-incompatibility. Plant Cell 19, 107-117.
14. Kakita, M., K. Murase, M. Iwano, T. Matsumoto, M. Watanabe, H. Shiba, A. Isogai & S. Takayama (2007). Two distinct forms of MLPK localize to the plasma membrane and interact directly with SRK to transduce self-incompatibility signaling. Plant Cell 19, 3961-3973.
15. Takai, R., A. Isogai, S. Takayama & F.-S. Che (2008). Analysis of flagellin perception mediated by flg22 receptor OsFLS2 in rice. Mol. Plant Microbe Interact. 21, 1635-1642.
16. Kaneda, T., Y. Taga, R. Takai, M. Iwano, H. Masui, S. Takayama, A. Isogai & F.-S. Che (2009). The transcription factor OsNAC4 is a key positive regulator of plant hypersensitive cell death. EMBO J. 28, 926-936.