GO TOP

Field

Molecular and Chemical Life Science :
Molecular and Network Genomics

Research

JAPANESE
Professor NAGATA Yuji
Campus Katahira campus
Laboratory Microbial Genetics and Evolution
Tel +81-22-217-5699
E-mail aynaga＠ige.tohoku.ac.jp
Website https://www.lifesci.tohoku.ac.jp/biideshin/index.html

I was born in Aichi Prefecture, have lived in Kanagawa, Okinawa, Kagawa, and Tokyo, and I am now living in Miyagi. When I was a student, I played soft-rubber ball tennis. I have been a fan of the professional baseball team, the Chunichi Dragons, but also support the Rakuten Eagles.

Career
Education
1985-1989 Bachelor, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
1989-1991 Master, Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
1995 Ph.D., Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Employment
1991-1996 Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
1996-2000 Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2000-2001 Associate Professor, Institute of Genetic Ecology, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
2001-present Associate Professor, Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Selected Publications
  1. Nagata Y, Tabata M, Ohhata S, Tsuda M: Appearance and evolution of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading bacteria. In: Nojiri H, Tsuda M, Fukuda M, Kamagata Y (eds) Biodegradative Bacteria. Springer Verlag, Tokyo (2014)
  2. Okai, M., J. Ohtsuka, L.F. Imai, T. Mase, R. Moriuchi, M. Tsuda, K. Nagata, Y. Nagata, and M. Tanokura. Crystal structure and site-directed mutagenesis analysis of haloalkane dehalogenase LinB from Sphingobium sp. MI1205. J. Bacteriol. 195: 2642-2651 (2013)
  3. Ito, M., A. Ono, Y. Ohtsubo, M. Tsuda, and Y. Nagata. Cloning of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane dehydrochlorinase gene with its flanking regions from soil by activity-based screening techniques. European J. Soil Biology 52: 16-19 (2012)
  4. Nagata, Y., S. Natsui, R. Endo, Y. Ohtsubo, N. Ichikawa, A. Ankai, A. Oguchi, S. Fukui, N. Fujita, and M. Tsuda. Genomic organization and genomic structural rearrangements of Sphingobium japonicum UT26, an archetypal gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading bacterium. Enzyme and Microbial Technology 49: 499-508 (2011)
  5. Prokop, Z., Y. Sato, J. Brezovsky, T. Mozga, R. Chalooupkova, T. Koudelakova, P. Jerabek, V. Stepankova, R. Natsume, J. G.E. van Leeuwen, D. B. Janssen, J. Florian, Y. Nagata, T. Senda, and J. Damborsky. Enantioselectivity of haloalkane dehalogenases and its modulation by surface loop engineering. Angewandte Chemie. 49: 6111-6115 (2010)
  6. Pavlova, M., M. Klvana, Z. Prokop, R. Chaloupkova, P. Banas, M. Otyepka, R. C. Wade, M. Tsuda, Y. Nagata, and J. Damborsky. Redesigning dehalogenase access tunnels as a strategy for degrading an anthropogenic substrate. Nature Chemical Biology 5: 727-733 (2009)
  7. Fuchu, G., Y. Ohtsubo, M. Ito, R. Miyazaki, A. Ono, Y. Nagata, and M. Tsuda. Insertion sequence-based cassette PCR: cultivation-independent isolation of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading genes from soil DNA. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 79: 627-632 (2008)
  8. Nagata, Y., R. Endo, M. Ito, Y. Ohtsubo and M. Tsuda. Aerobic degradation of lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) in bacteria and its biochemical and molecular basis. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 76: 741-752 (2007)
Activities in Academic Societies

Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology and Agrochemistry; The Society for Biotechnology, Japan; Society of Genome Microbiology, Japan; Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology; Japan Society for Environmental Biotechnology; American Society for Microbiology.
Teaching

Microbial Genetics and Genomics (life science graduate students) Joint Lecture on Ecology (life science graduate students) Introduction to Life Science (all students)

Recent Activities

Biodegradation of environmental pollutants, e.g., halogenated pesticides and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Evolution of bacterial genes and genomes. Protein engineering of dehalogenases. Bacterial ecology and metagenomics.

Message to Students

I am most interested in bacterial evolution in the environment.

Research