GO TOP

Field

Molecular and Chemical Life Science :
Molecular and Network Genomics

Research

Associate Professor KANNO Akira
Campus Katahira campus
Laboratory Plant Molecular Breeding
Tel +81-22-217-5725
E-mail kanno@ige.tohoku.ac.jp
Website http://www.ige.tohoku.ac.jp/prg/kanno/index.html
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My interests are the molecular mechanisms of floral development in monocot plants, especially in asparagus and orchids. I am also interested in the evolution of floral morphology and dioecy.

Career
Apr. 1992 Research Fellowship for Young Scientists, JSPS (PD)
Feb. 1993 Research Associate, Institute of Genetic Ecology, Tohoku University
Jun. 1993 Assistant Professor, Institute of Genetic Ecology, Tohoku University
Aug. 1997 – Jul. 1999 Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad, JSPS (Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany)
Feb. 1999 Associate Professor, Institute of Genetic Ecology, Tohoku University
Apr. 2001 Associate Professor, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University
Apr. 2007 Associate Professor, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University
Selected Publications
  1. Akahori and Kanno (2022) Development of a new codominant CAPS marker for sex genotype identification in asparagus. Euphytica 218:75.
  2. Shirasawa et al. (2022) Chromosome-scale haplotype-phased genome assemblies of the male and female lines of wild asparagus (Asparagus kiusianus), a dioecious plant species. DNA Research 29:1-7.
  3. Abdelrahman et al. (2020) Comparative metabolome and transcriptome analyses of susceptible Asparagus officinalis and resistant wild A. kiusianus revealed insights into stem blight disease resistance. Plant and Cell Physiology 61:1464-1476.
  4. Sangin et al. (2020) Isolation of an AGAMOUS homolog from Zamia muricata. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology 42:365-370.
  5. Mitoma et al. (2019) Molecular mechanism underlying pseudopeloria in Habenaria radiata (Orchidaceae). The Plant Journal99:439-451.
  6. Miura et al. (2019) Expression and functional analyses of fiveB-class genes in grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum). The Horticulture Journal 88:284-292.
  7. Mitoma et al. (2018) A new DNA marker for sex identification in purple asparagus. Euphytica 214:154.
  8. Mitoma and Kanno (2018) The greenish flower phenotype of Habenaria radiata (Orchidaceae) is caused by a mutation in the SEPALLATA-like MADS-box gene HrSEP-1. Frontiers in Plant Science 9:831.
  9. Takeuchi et al. (2018). Features in stem blight resistance confirmed in interspecific hybrids of Asparagus officinalis L. and Asparagus kiusianus Makino. The Horticulture Journal 87:200-205.
  10. Harkess et al. (2017) The asparagus genome sheds light on the origin and evolution of a young Y chromosome. Nature Communications 8:1279.
  11. Kanno et al. (2017) A method for sex identification inasparagus using DNA from seeds. Euphytica 213:223.
  12. Abdelrahman et al. (2017) Comparative de novo transcriptome profiles in Asparagus officinalis and A. kiusianus during the early stage of Phomopsis asparagi infection. Scientific Reports 7:2608.
  13. Murase et al. (2017) A MYB transcription factor gene involved in sex determination in Asparagus officinalis. Genes to Cells 22:115-123.
  14. Komai et al. (2016) Precocious in-vitro flowering of perennial asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) regenerants with a chemical inducer. American Journal of Plant Sciences 7:1834-1845.
  15. Otani et al. (2016) Suppression of B function strongly supports the modified ABCE model in Tricyrtis sp. (Liliaceae). Scientific Reports 6:24549.
  16. Kubota and Kanno (2015) Analysis of the floral MADS-box genes from monocotyledonous Trilliaceae species indicates the involvement ofSEPALLATA3-like genes in sepal-petal differentiation. Plant Science241:266-276
  17. Sharifi et al. (2015) Double flower formation in Tricyrtis macranthopsis is related to low expression of AGAMOUS ortholog gene. Scientia Horticulturae 193:337-345.
  18. Mizunoe et al. (2015) Morphological variation and AGAMOUS-like gene expression in double flowers of Cyclamen persicum Mill. The Horticulture Journal 84:140-147.
  19. Hoshino et al. (2014) Characterization of CYCLOIDEA-like genes in controlling floral zygomorphy in the monocotyledon Alstroemeria. Scientia Horticulturae 169:6-13.
  20. Kanno et al. (2014) Conversion of a male-specific RAPD marker into an STS marker in Asparagus officinalis L. Euphytica 197:39-46.
Activities in Academic Societies

Japanese Society of Breeding, The Japanese Society for Horticultural Science, The Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists, The Botanical Society of Japan, International Society for Horticultural Science

Teaching

Advanced Lecture on Plant Reproductive Genetics (graduate school)
Advanced Lecture on Environmental Life Sciences(graduate school)
Advanced Cell Biology(graduate school)
Advanced Lecture on Life Sciences (undergraduate)

Recent Activities

For our asparagus research, we found the DNA marker for identifying the sex of asparagus. This marker is very useful because now we can distinguish male and female asparagus before those plants flower. Also, we generated interspecific hybrids between garden and wild asparagus in order to develop new asparagus cultivars. For the research of floral development, we isolated many floral homeotic genes from orchids. We are now analyzing the expression pattern of those genes.

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