研究室紹介

Marine Biochemistry

The major basic research topics are molecular and cellular biological elucidation of innate and adaptive immune system of aquatic organisms such as fish. Based on the fundamental knowledge obtained, applied researches on mechanism of fish Vaccine and immunostimulants are also conducted with the aim of establishment of effective control methods of infectious diseases in aquaculture.

Research Interests

There is an urgent need to establish preventive measures against infectious diseases of farmed fish, which have become increasingly serious in recent years, by utilizing the innate immunity of fish. We have been trying to elucidate the entire complementation system of fish, because we believe that nonspecific biological defense mechanisms play a more important role in fish, which are lower-temperate vertebrates, than in mammals. Recent genetic data have revealed that fish complement genes are highly multiplexed and that the resulting isotypes are functionally diverse, which is a distinctive feature of fish. We would like to gain a deeper understanding of the innate immune function in bony fishes by elucidating the genetic mechanisms of complement diversification and the functional differentiation of the diversified complement components.

Keyword of Research Area