Saito Tamao / 齊藤 玉緒Saito Tamao
Research Interests
Natural products are the major source of therapeutic small molecules; not just for anti-bacterials and anti-fungals but also for anti-cancers where around half of existing drugs have this origin.
Dictyostelium is a social amoebae living in a soil, where is known as a battle field of chemical warfare. Dicty genome analysis revealed its massive potential of the production of small molecules, secondary metabolites.
My research question is “What do these chemical compounds do in the soil?” I’m interested in the chemical communication between Dicty and its environment.
Understanding the eco-chemical interactions in the soil is important not only for understanding the survival strategy of microbes but also for maintaining the health of soil environment.
