We are focusing on the molecular basis of biological functions of microalgae contributing to production of food, biofuel and industrial materials through photosynthesis. Especially, we employ a green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, as a model eukaryotic photosynthetic microorganism using genomic, proteomic, genetic, molecular and biochemical techniques.

The current projects are

1. Molecular characterization of the carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) supporting photosynthetic carbon fixation, biofuel production, and cell proliferation.
2. Elucidation of regulatory systems controlling photosynthesis and carbon/nitrogen metabolisms by sensing environmental factors including changes of levels in CO2 concentration, light and nutrients.
3. Metabolic engineering for production of industrial important fatty acids, glycerolipids and carbohydrates.
4. Molecular control and signaling of sexual reproduction and oil production by nutrient starvation.
5. Identification of factors essential for intracellular signal transduction including calcium-dependent retrograde signal from chloroplast to nucleus and DYRK family of protein kinases supporting cell survival.

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