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Eiji Nambara

nambara.jpg
Assistant Professor
Education: 
PhD, Nagoya University
Department: 
Cell & Systems Biology
Research Areas: 
Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Cell & Developmental Biology, Functional Genomics & Genetics, Plant Biology
Graduate Programs: 
Cell & Systems Biology
Office phone: 
416-978-4668
Lab phone: 
416-978-1604
Fax: 
416-978-5878
Office: 
ESC 4024
Lab: 
ESC 4026

eiji [dot] nambara (at)utoronto [dot] ca

Address: 

Department of Cell & Systems Biology
University of Toronto
25 Willcocks Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5S 3B2

Research: 

Plant hormones are low-abundant compounds, which elicit numerous biological processes essential for plant growth and development. Recent progress in functional genomics reveals that elucidation of hormone action mechanism is the key to engineer plants with enhanced performance as well as to evaluating the short- and long-term effects of genetic modifications in plants. My laboratory will study how hormone levels are regulated. In particular, we will focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which regulate abscisic acid metabolism and movement.

  • Selected publications:
2009
Matakiadis, T., Alboresi, A., Jikumaru, Y., Tatematsu, K., Pichon, O., Renou, J-P., Sotta, B., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E., Troung, H-N. (2009).  The Arabidopsis abscisic acid catabolism gene CYP707A2 plays a key role in nitrate control of seed dormancy.. Plant Physiol. 149, 949-960.
Okamoto, M., Tanaka, Y., Abrams, SR., Kamiya, Y., Seki, M., Nambara, E. (2009).  High humidity induces ABA 8’-hydroxylase in stomata and vasculature to regulate local and systemic ABA responses in Arabidopsis.. Plant Physiol. 149, 825-834.
Seo, M., Nambara, E., Choi, G., Yamaguchi, S. (2009).  Interaction of light and hormone signals in germinating seeds.. Plant Mol Biol. 69, 463-472.
Okamoto, M., Hanada, A., Kamiya, Y., Yamaguchi, S., Nambara, E. (2009).  Measurements of abscisic acid and gibberellins by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.. Method Mol Biol, Plant Hormones. 495, 1-8.
Preston, J., Tatematsu, K., Kanno, Y., Hobo, T., Kimura, M., Jikumaru, Y., Yano, R., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2009).  Temporal expression patterns of hormone metabolism genes during imbibition of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds: a comparative study on dormant and non-dormant accessions.. Plant Cell Physiol.. 50, 1786-1800.
Yano, R., Kanno, Y., Jikumaru, Y., Nakabayashi, K., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2009).  CHO1, a putative double APETALA2 repeat transcription factor, is involved in ABA-mediated repression of gibberellin biosynthesis during seed germination in Arabidopsis.. Plant Physiol.. 151, 641-654.
Yamagishi, K., Tatematsu, K., Yano, R., Preston, J., Kitamura, S., Takahashi, H., McCourt, P., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2009).  CHOTTO1, a double AP2 domain protein of Arabidopsis thaliana, regulates germination and seedling growth under excess supply of glucose and nitrate.. Plant Cell Physiol. 50, 330-340.
2008
Piskurewicz, U., Jikumaru, Y., Kinoshita, N., Nambara, E., Kamiya, Y., Lopez-Molina, L. (2008).  The GA-signaling repressor RGL2 inhibits Arabidopsis seed germination by stimulating ABA synthesis and ABI5 activity.. Plant Cell. 20, 2729-2745.
Goda, H., Sasaki, E., K., A., Maruyama-Nakashita, A., Nakabayashi, K., Li, W., Ogawa, M., Yamauchi, Y., Preston, J., Aoki, K., Kiba, T., Takatsuto, S., Fujioka, S., Asami, T., Nakano, T., Kato, H., Mizuno, T., Sakakibara, H., et., al., , (2008).  The AtGenExpress hormone- and chemical-treatment data set: Experimental design, data evaluation, model data analysis, and data access.. Plant J. 55, 526-542.
Matsui, A., Ishida, J., Morosawa, T., Mochizuki, Y., Kaminuma, E., Endo, TA., Okamoto, M., Nambara, E., Nakajima, M., Kawashima, M., Satou, M., Kim, J-M., Kobayashi, N., Toyoda, T., K., Shinozaki., Seki, M. (2008).  Arabidopsis transcriptome analysis under drought, cold, high-salinity and ABA treatment conditions using a tilling array.. Plant Cell Physiol. 49, 1135-1149.
Endo, A., Sawada, Y., Takahashi, K., Okamoto, M., Ikegami, K., Koiwai, H., Seo, M., Toyomasu, T., Mitsuhashi, W., Shinozaki, K., Nakazono, M., Kamiya, Y., Koshiba, T., Nambara, E. (2008).  Drought induction of Arabidopsis 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase occurs in vascular parenchyma cells.. Plant Physiol. 147, 1984-1993.
Sawada, Y., Aoki, M., Nakaminami, K., Mitsuhashi, W., Tatematsu, K., Kushiro, T., Koshiba, T., Kamiya, Y., Inoue, Y., Nambara, E., Toyomasu, T. (2008).  Phytochrome- and gibberellin-mediated regulation of abscisic acid metabolism during germination of photoblastic lettuce seeds.. Plant Physiol. 146, 1386-1396.
Toh, S., Imamura, A., Watanabe, A., Nakabayashi, K., Okamoto, M., Jikumaru, Y., Hanada, A., Aso, Y., Ishiyama, K., Tamura, N., Iuchi, S., Kobayashi, M., Yamaguchi, S., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E., Kawakami, N. (2008).  High temperature-induced ABA biosynthesis and its role in the inhibition of GA action in Arabidopsis seeds.. Plant Physiol. 146, 1368-1385.
Melhorn, V., Matsumi, K., Koiwai, H., Ikegami, K., Okamoto, M., Nambara, E., Bittner, F., Koshiba, T. (2008).  Transient expression of AtNCED3 and AAO3 genes in guard cells causes the stomatal closure in Vicia faba.. J Plant Res. 121, 125-131.
Tatematsu, K., Nakabayashi, K., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2008).  Transcription factor AtTCP14 regulates embryonic growth potential in Arabidopsis thaliana.. Plant J. 53, 42-52.
Endo, A., Koshiba, T., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2008).  Vascular parenchyma cell is a node of systemic responses to drought stresses –Competence of the cell to synthesize abscisic acid and its responsiveness to internal and external cues-. Plant Signal Behav. 3(12), 1138-1140.
Tatematsu, K., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2008).  Co-regulation of ribosomal protein genes as an indicator of growth status -Comparative transcriptome analysis on axillary shoots and seeds in Arabidopsis-. Plant Signal Behav. 3(7), 450-452.
2007
Saika, H., Okamoto, M., Miyoshi, K., Kushiro, T., Shinoda, S., Jikumaru, Y., Fujimoto, M., Arikawa, T., Takahashi, H., Ando, M., Arimura, S., Miyao, A., Hirochika, H., Kamiya, Y., Tsutsumi, N., Nambara, E., Nakazono, M. (2007).  Ethylene promotes submergence-induced expression of OsABA8ox1, a gene that encodes ABA 8'-hydroxylase in rice. Plant Cell Physiol.. 48, 287-298.
Zentella, R., Zhang, Z-L., Park, M., Thomas, SG., Endo, A., Murase, K., Fleet, CM., Jikumaru, Y., Nambara, E., Kamiya, Y., Sun, T-p. (2007).  Global analysis of DELLA direct targets in early gibberellin signaling.. Plant Cell. 19, 3037-3057.
Yamaguchi, S., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2007).  Regulation of ABA and GA levels during seed development and germination in Arabidopsis.. Annu Plant Rev. 224-247.
2006
Chono, M., Honda, I, Shinoda, S., Kushiro, T., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E., Kawakami, N., Kaneko, S., Watanabe, Y. (2006).  ield studies in the regulation of abscisic acid content and germinability during grain development of barley: molecular and chemical analysis of pre-harvest sprouting.. J Exp Bot. 57, 2421-2434.
Saito, S., Okamoto, M., Shinoda, S., Kushiro, T., Koshiba, T., Hirai, N., Sakata, K., Nambara, E., Mizutani, M. (2006).  A plant growth retardant uniconazole is a potent inhibitor of ABA catabolism in Arabidopsis.. Biosci. Biotech. Biochem.. 70, 1731-1739.
Umezawa, T., Okamoto, M., Kushiro, T., Nambara, E., Oono, Y., Kobayashi, M., Koshiba, T., Kamiya, Y., Shinozaki, K. (2006).  CYP707A3, a major ABA 8’-hydroxylase involved in dehydration and rehydration response in Arabidopsis thaliana.. Plant J. 46, 171-182.
Lefebvre, V., North, H., Frey, A., Sotta, B., Seo, M., Okamoto, M., Nambara, E., Marion-Poll, A. (2006).  Functional analysis of Arabidopsis NCED6 and NCED9 genes indicates that ABA synthesised in the endosperm is involved in the induction of seed dormancy.. Plant J. 45, 309-319.
Yamaguchi, S., Nambara, E. (2006).  Seed development and germination. Ann Plant Rev. 311-338.
Seo, M., Hanada, A., Kuwahara, A., Endo, A., Okamoto, M., Yamauchi, Y., North, H., Marion-Poll, A., Sun, T., Koshiba, T., Kamiya, Y., Yamaguchi, S., Nambara, E. (2006).  Regulation of hormone metabolism in Arabidopsis seeds: Phytochrome-regulation of abscisic acid metabolism and abscisic acid-regulation of gibberellin metabolism.. Plant J.. 48, 354-366.
Okamoto, M., Kuwahara, A., Seo, M., Kushiro, T., Asami, T., Hirai, N., Kamiya, Y., Koshiba, T., Nambara, E. (2006).  CYP707A1 and CYP707A2, which encode ABA 8-hydroxylases, are indispensable for a proper control of seed dormancy and germination in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol.. 141, 97-107.
Schroeder, J., Nambara, E. (2006).  A quick release mechanism for abscisic acid.. Cell. 126, 1023-1025.
2005
Nakabayashi, K., Okamoto, M., Koshiba, T., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2005).  Genome-wide profiling of stored mRNA in Arabidopsis thaliana seed germination: epigenetic and genetic regulation of transcription in seed.. Plant J.. 41, 697-709.
Tatematsu, K., Ward, S., Leyser, O., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2005).  Identification of cis elements that regulate gene expression during initiation of axillary bud outgrowth in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiol.. 138, 757-766.
Nambara, E., Marion-Poll, A. (2005).  Abscisic acid biosynthesis and catabolism.. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol.. 56, 165-185.
2004
Kushiro, T., Okamoto, M., Nakabayashi, K., Yamagishi, K., Kitamura, S., Asami, T., Hirai, N., Koshiba, T., Kamiya, Y., Nambara, E. (2004).  The Arabidopsis cytochrome P450 CYP707A encodes ABA 8-hydroxylases: key enzymes in ABA catabolism.. EMBO J.. 23, 16471656.
2003
Nambara, E., Marion-Poll, A. (2003).  ABA action and interactions in seeds.. Trends Plant Sci.. 8, 213-217.
Kushiro, T., Nambara, E., McCourt, P. (2003).  Hormone evolution: The key to signalling.. Nature. 422, 122.
2002
Cheng, W., Endo, A., Zhou, L., Penney, J., Chen, H., Arroyo, A., Leon, P., Nambara, E., Asami, T., Seo, M., Koshiba, T., Sheen, J. (2002).  A unique short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase in Arabidopsis glucose signaling and abscisic acid biosynthesis and functions.. Plant Cell. 14, 2723-2743.
Nambara, E., Suzuki, M., Abrams, S., McCarty, D., Kamiya, Y., McCourt, P. (2002).  A screen for genes that function in abscisic acid signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana.. Genetics. 161, 1247-1255.