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PI Yasushi Ogasawara　Professor

PI message

Natural products, produced by microorganisms and plants, are among the most structurally complex and biologically active molecules found in nature. Our research focuses on understanding how microorganisms produce useful natural products by uncovering the genes and enzymes responsible for their biosynthesis. By integrating organic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, we investigate the chemistry underlying natural product biosynthesis and enzyme mechanism. We also harness this knowledge to design and produce new bioactive molecules. Our goal is to contribute to the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches to chemical synthesis. We welcome students who are excited to explore the intersection of chemistry and biology.

Research

Our group is currently working on several research areas including characterization of novel enzymatic reactions and biosynthetic engineering. Using chemical and biological approaches, we study “enzyme chemistry” by uncovering unprecedented enzymes involved in diverse biological processes including the formation of bacterial cell wall, biosynthesis of natural products. We also focus on bioproduction of useful and high-value natural products by “biosynthetic engineering”. In addition, we search for new antibiotics that specifically kill pathogenic bacteria by making use of differences in metabolic pathways between useful bacteria and pathogenic bacteria.

Member

• Yasushi Ogasawara

  Professor

  Research Field

  Natural product chemistry, biochemistry
• Yasuharu Satoh

  Assistant Professor

  Research Field

  Biochemical engineering, synthetic biology

Main Research Achievements

• W. Xiao, Y. Satoh, Y. Ogasawara, T. Dairi. ChemBioChem 23, e202100705 (2022).
• X. Li, R. Shimaya, T. Dairi, W-c. Chang, Y. Ogasawara. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 61, e202113189 (2022).
• Z. Feng, Y. Ogasawara, T. Dairi. Chem. Sci. 12, 2567-2574 (2021).
• T. Kamide, S. Takusagawa, N. Tanaka, Y. Ogasawara, Y. Kawano, I. Ohtsu, Y. Satoh, T. Dairi. J. Agric. Food Chem. 68, 6390-6394 (2020).
• Y. Ogasawara, M. Shigematsu, S. Sato, H. Kato, T. Dairi. Org. Lett. 21, 3972-3975 (2019).
• S. Hayashi, M. Naka, K. Ikeuchi, M. Otsuka, K. Kobayashi, Y. Satoh, Y. Ogasawara, C. Maruyama, Y. Hamano, T. Ujihara, T. Dairi. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 58, 6605-6610 (2019).
• S. Hayashi, Y. Satoh, Y. Ogasawara, C. Maruyama, Y. Hamano, T. Ujihara, T. Dairi. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 58, 2326-2330 (2019).
• R. Feng, Y. Satoh, Y. Ogasawara, T. Yoshimura, T. Dairi. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 139, 4243-4245 (2017).
• J. Kawata, T. Naoe, Y. Ogasawara, T. Dairi. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 56, 2026-2029 (2017).
• M. Noike, T. Matsui, K. Ooya, I. Sasaki, S. Ohtaki, Y. Hamano, C. Maruyama, J. Ishikawa, Y. Satoh, H. Ito, H. Morita, T. Dairi. Nat. Chem. Biol., 11, 71-76 (2015).
• T. Hiratsuka, K. Furihata, J. Ishikawa, H. Yamashita, N. Itoh, H. Seto, T. Dairi. Science, 321, 1670-1673 (2008).

Contact

yogasawa(at)eng.hokudai.ac.jp