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Field

Molecular and Chemical Life Science :
Molecular and Network Genomics

Research

Associate Professor HIDEMA Jun
Campus Katahira campus
Laboratory Molecular Genetics and Physiology
Tel +81-22-217-5690
E-mail jun.hidema.e8@tohoku.ac.jp
Website http://www.ige.tohoku.ac.jp/genome/index.htm
Career
April 1992 – June 1993 Research Fellowship for Young Scientists, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Graduate School of Agriculture, Tohoku University)
March 1993 Completed a doctorate (Agriculture) at the Graduate School of Agriculture, Tohoku University
July 1993 Assistant Professor at Institute of Genetic Ecology, Tohoku University
Visiting Researcher, National Brookhaven Institute (USA); Visiting Researcher, Göteborgs University (Sweden)
April 2001 to Present Associate Professor, Graduate School of Life Science, Tohoku University
November 2004 Received Encouraging Prize from The Japan Radiation Research Society
April 2013 Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Selected Publications
Main publications of the last 3 years
  1. Takahashi S, Teranishi M, Izumi M, Takahashi M, Takahashi F and Hidema J. (2014) Transport of rice cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) photolyase into mitochondria relies on a targeting sequence located in its C-terminal internal region. The Plant Journal. 79: 951-963.
  2. Wang QW, Hidema J and Hikosaka K. (2014) Is UV-induced DNA damage greater at higher elevation? American Journal of Botany. 101: 1-7.
  3. Kunihiro S, Kowata H, Kondou Y, Takahashi S, Matsui M, Berberich T, Youssefian S, Hidema J and Kusano T. (2014) Overexpression of rice OsREX1-S, encoding a putative component of the core general transcription and DNA repair factor IIH, renders plant cells tolerant to cadmium- and UV-induced damage by enhancing DNA excision repair. Planta. 239: 1101-1111.
  4. Teranishi M, Nakamura K, Furukawa H and Hidema J. (2013) Identification of a phosphorylation site in cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer photolyase of rice. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 63: 24-29.
  5. Takano N, Takahashi Y, Yamamoto M, Teranishi M, Yamagushi H, Sakamoto AN, Hase Y, Fujisawa H, Wu J, Matsumoto T, Toki S and Hidema J. (2013) Isolation of a novel UVB-tolerant rice mutant obtained by exposure to carbon-ion beams. Journal of Radiation Research. 54:637-648.
  6. Izumi M, Hidema J, Makino A and Ishida H. (2013) Autophagy contributes to night-time energy availability for growth in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology 161: 1682-1693.
  7. Yoshihara R, Nozawa S, Hase Y, Narumi I, Hidema J and Sakamoto AN. (2013) Mutational effects of γ-rays and carbon ion beams in Arabidopsis seedlings. Journal of Radiation Research. 54: 1050-1056.
  8. Izumi M, Hidema J and Ishida H. (2013) Deficiency of autophagy leads to significant changes of metabolic profiles in Arabidopsis. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 8: e25023
  9. Teranishi M, Taguchi T, Ono T and Hidema J (2012) Augmentation of CPD photolyase activity in japonica and indica rice increases their UVB resistance but still leaves the difference in their sensitivities. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. 11: 812-820.
  10. Hitomi K, Arvai AS, Yamamoto J, Hitomi C, Teranishi M, Hirouchi T, Yamamoto K, Iwai S, Tainer JA, Hidema J and Getzoff ED. (2012) Eukaryotic Class II CPD photolyase structure reveals a basis for improved UV-tolerance in plants. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 287: 12060-12069.
  11. Takahashi M, Teranishi M, Ishida H, Kawasaki J, Takeuchi A, Yamaya T, Watanabe M, Makino A and Hidema J. (2011) CPD photolyase repairs ultraviolet-B-induced CPDs in all DNA-containing organelles in rice. The Plant Journal 66, 433-442.
Main previous publications
  1. Takahashi M, Teranishi M, Ishida H, Kawasaki J, Takeuchi A, Yamaya T, Watanabe M, Makino A and Hidema J. (2011) CPD photolyase repairs ultraviolet-B-induced CPDs in all DNA-containing organelles in rice. The Plant Journal 66, 433-442.
  2. Teranishi M, Nakamura K, Morioka H, Yamamoto K and Hidema J. (2008) The native cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer photolyase of rice is phosphoryated. Plant Physiology 146: 1941-1951.
  3. Hidema J, Taguchi T, Ono T, Teranishi M, Yamamoto T and Kumagai T. (2007) Increase in CPD photolyase activity functions effectively for preventing ultraviolet-B-caused growth inhibition in rice plant. The Plant Journal 50: 70-79.
  4. Hidema J and T. Kumagai (2006) Invited Review “Sensitivity of rice to Ultraviolet-B radiation.” Annals of Botany. 97: 933-942.
  5. Hidema J, Teranishi M, Iwamatsu Y, Hirouchi T, Ueda T, Sato T, Burr B, Sutherland BM, Yamamoto K and Kumagai T. (2005) Spontaneously occurring mutations in the cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer photolyase gene cause different sensitivities to ultraviolet-B in rice. The Plant Journal 43: 57-67.
  6. Hidema J, Kumagai T and Sutherland BM (2000): UV-sensitive Norin 1 rice contains defective cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer photolyase. The Plant Cell 12: 1569-1578.
  7. Hidema J, Kumagai T, Sutherland JC and Sutherland BM (1997): Ultraviolet B-sensitive rice cultivar different in cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimer repair. Plant Physiology 113: 39-44.
Activities in Academic Societies

American Society of Plant Biologists, American Society for Photobiology, The Japan Radiation Research Society, Japan Society of Plant Physiologists, Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space

Teaching

Genome Inheretance Systems, Joint Lecture on Ecology, Introduction to Life Science, Life Science B

Recent Activities

Deterioration of the global environment is a growing concern. I am particularly interested in the increased levels of hazardous ultraviolet-B (UVB; 280–320 nm) radiation attributed to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, and I have been investigating the following two areas with the aim of sustainable food production and global environment conservation in the near future: 1) the mechanism of resistance to UVB radiation in higher plants and the creation of new cultivars resistant to UVB radiation, and 2) field testing the impact of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation on rice.

I have also been applying multidisciplinary approaches that employ concepts and methods of plant physiology, molecular cell biology, molecular genetics, photobiology, and radiation biology to gain comprehensive insights into the impact of UVB radiation on plants at the molecular, cellular, individual, and population levels.

The mechanism of resistance to UVB radiation in higher plants and the creation of new cultivars resistant to UVB radiation
UVB can damage plants, resulting in decreased growth and productivity. Consequently, plants with decreased resistance to UVB damage may become severely damaged when UVB radiation is high, such when stratospheric ozone is depleted. We previously demonstrated that UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) are one principal cause of UVB-induced growth inhibition in plants grown under supplementary UVB radiation, and that increasing the activity of CPD photolyase, which is a CPD repair enzyme, can significantly alleviate UVB-caused growth inhibition in rice (Hidema et al. 2000; Plant Cell, 2005; Plant J, 2007). The CPD photolyase is widely distributed among species ranging from bacteria to plants and mammals, indicating that CPD photolyase is an ancient protein that may have played an important role in evolution. We demonstrated that rice CPD photolyase, encoded by a single-copy gene and not a splice variant, is expressed and targeted not only to nuclei and mitochondria but also to chloroplasts, and is subjected to “triple targeting” in rice cells (M. Takahashi et al. 2011, Plant J.; S. Takahashi et al. 2014, Plant J.). Furthermore, although it has been reported that CPD photolyase gene expression is mediated by various qualities of light (UVB, UVA, blue, or red) in plants, the mechanisms of this light-mediated gene expression is poorly understood. Currently, I am conducting research relating to CPD photolyase and UVB-induced growth inhibition in higher plants, focusing on the organelle transfer mechanism, the light-regulated gene expression mechanism, and structural modification of CPD photolyase.

Field testing the impact of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation on rice
In environmental research, it is crucial to confirm laboratory findings in field studies. Field studies are also important as they highlight problems in the environment. I have been analyzing the prospective effects of elevated UVB radiation levels on several populations of rice, a staple crop in Asia, for over 10 years, and I have demonstrated that elevated UVB radiation levels in the near future will cause a reduction in grain yield and size, as well as influence the content of major proteins in rice grains (Hidema et al. 2005, J. Radiation Res.). I am also currently involved in a project begun in 2010 (a certified experiment with type-1 genetically modified organisms) that investigates the impact of current solar UVB radiation on the growth and yield of rice in an isolated field using cultivars with distinct levels of resistance to UVB radiation.

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