Create, restore, and utilize ceramides with the power of plants.
Life (Saitama University Research Seed Collection 2025-25 p.118)
Keywords: Ceramide, sphingolipids, skin barrier, metabolic engineering, genome editing, seed production
Sphingolipids are universally present in animals and plants, functioning as essential membrane lipids in cells. In some animals, such as humans, ceramides contained in sphingolipids serve as the main component of extracellular lipids in the stratum corneum, supporting the skin barrier function. As a result, ceramides have seen a rapid increase in demand as functional ingredients in basic skincare products and functional foods in recent years. Currently, plant-derived lipids are being used as a safe and inexpensive source of ceramides; however, plants contain very little free ceramide that is similar to that found in human skin, with most existing as less bioavailable glycosylceramides. We aim to develop metabolic engineering techniques to stably produce high-value ceramides by utilizing the functions of enzyme genes involved in the synthesis and degradation of plant glycosylceramides. Additionally, research is being conducted to modify the inherent sphingolipid functions of plants to enhance the accumulation of plant oils that can be used as biofuel materials and functional proteins in seeds.
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Toshiki Ishikawa, Associate Professor Graduate School of Science and Technology, Department of Life Sciences, Field of Molecular Biology 【Recent Research Themes】 ● Development of a comprehensive analytical method for diverse sphingolipids ● Novel identification and functional analysis of plant sphingolipid metabolic enzymes ● Elucidation of the function of sphingolipid glycans in plant pathogenic responses ● Investigation of the cold sensing mechanism in plant cell membranes
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【Appeal Points to the Industry】 ● If free-type ceramides can be stably produced within plant cells, they will serve as a next-generation source of ceramides, replacing traditional plant ceramides (glycosylceramides). ● By modifying metabolic enzymes that form plant-type ceramide structures using genome editing technology, it is possible to selectively synthesize any desired type of ceramide structure. ● We possess technology for high-precision analysis of human-type, plant-type, and other natural ceramides. 【Examples of Practical Application, Use Cases, and Utilization】 ● Plant factories that stably produce ceramide molecules with high value for human health. ● Custom design of plant ceramide structures through genome editing. ● Development of super seed varieties through genome editing modifications of plant sphingolipid glycan chains.
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Ceramide production system controlled by the synthesis and degradation of sphingolipids in plants.
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The Saitama University Open Innovation Center is a center that functions as a liaison office for industry-academia-government collaboration. It consists of three departments: the Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Department, the Intellectual Property Department, and the Startup Support Department, each staffed with coordinators well-versed in various fields. The center's activities include solving technical challenges in companies, supporting the implementation of joint research, and conducting technology transfer aimed at introducing and utilizing Saitama University's intellectual property.