Kenji Watanabe, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8526, JAPAN
Phone: +81-54-264-5662, Fax: +81-54-264-5666,
Email: kenji55 @ u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8526, JAPAN
Phone: +81-54-264-5662, Fax: +81-54-264-5666,
Email: kenji55 @ u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp
Education:
| 1996 | B.S. Bioorganic chemistry, Hokkaido University |
| 2000 | Ph.D. Organic chemistry, Hokkaido University |
| Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences | |
| 2001 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University, Department of Chemical Engineering |
Professional Experience:
| 2016 | Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka |
| 2009 | Associate professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuok |
| 2008 | Assistant professor, Research Core for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Okayama University |
| Research assistant professor, Department of Chemistry, Hokkaido University | |
| 2004-2008 | Research assistant professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California |
| 2001-2003 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University |
| 2000-2001 | JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin Madison |
Academic Honors:
| 2010 | Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry Paper Awar |
| 2008 | The Japan Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry Society Award for the Encourage of Young Scientists |
| 2006 | Japan Young Scientist Research Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products |
| Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry Research Award | |
| 2005 | Japan Synthetic Organic Chemistry (Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.) Research Award |
| 2004 | Japan Young Scientist Research Award In Natural Product Chemistry |
Five Most Relevant Publications (out of 56):
1) Hotta, K., Chen, X., Paton, R. S., Minami, A., Li, H., Swaminathan, K., Mathews, I. I., Watanabe, K., Oikawa, H., Houk, K. N., Kim, C. Y. “Enzymatic catalysis of anti-Baldwin ring-closure in polyether biosynthesis.” Nature 2012, 483, 355-359.
2) Minami, A., Shimaya, M., Suzuki, G., Migita, A., Shinde, S. S., Watanabe, K., Tamura, T., Oguri, H., Oikawa, H. “Sequential enzymatic epoxidation involved in polyether lasalocid biosynthesis.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 7246-7249.
3) Koketsu, K., Oguri, H., Watanabe, K., Oikawa, H. “Reconstruction of the saframycin core scaffold defines dual Pictet-Spengler mechanisms.” Nat. Chem. Biol. 2010, 6, 408-410.
4) Bok, J. W., Chiang, Y. M., Szewczyk, E., Reyes-Domingez, Y., Davidson, A. D., Sanchez, J. F., Lo, H. C., Watanabe, K., Strauss, J., Oakley, B. R., Wang, C. C. C., Keller, N. P. “Chromatin-level regulation of biosynthetic gene clusters.” Nat. Chem. Biol. 2009, 5, 462-464.
5) Watanabe, K., Hotta, K., Nakaya, M., Praseuth, A. P., Wang, C. C. C., Inada, D., Takahashi, K., Fukushi, F., Oguri, H., Oikawa, H. “Escherichia coli allows efficient modular incorporation of newly isolated quinomycin biosynthetic enzyme into echinomycin biosynthetic pathway for rational design and synthesis of potent antibiotic unnatural natural product.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 9347?9353.
2) Minami, A., Shimaya, M., Suzuki, G., Migita, A., Shinde, S. S., Watanabe, K., Tamura, T., Oguri, H., Oikawa, H. “Sequential enzymatic epoxidation involved in polyether lasalocid biosynthesis.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 7246-7249.
3) Koketsu, K., Oguri, H., Watanabe, K., Oikawa, H. “Reconstruction of the saframycin core scaffold defines dual Pictet-Spengler mechanisms.” Nat. Chem. Biol. 2010, 6, 408-410.
4) Bok, J. W., Chiang, Y. M., Szewczyk, E., Reyes-Domingez, Y., Davidson, A. D., Sanchez, J. F., Lo, H. C., Watanabe, K., Strauss, J., Oakley, B. R., Wang, C. C. C., Keller, N. P. “Chromatin-level regulation of biosynthetic gene clusters.” Nat. Chem. Biol. 2009, 5, 462-464.
5) Watanabe, K., Hotta, K., Nakaya, M., Praseuth, A. P., Wang, C. C. C., Inada, D., Takahashi, K., Fukushi, F., Oguri, H., Oikawa, H. “Escherichia coli allows efficient modular incorporation of newly isolated quinomycin biosynthetic enzyme into echinomycin biosynthetic pathway for rational design and synthesis of potent antibiotic unnatural natural product.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 9347?9353.
Five Other Publications:
1) Nakazawa, T., Ishiuchi, K., Praseuth, A., Noguchi, H., Hotta, K., Moriya, H., Watanabe, K. “Overexpressing transcriptional regulator in Aspergillus oryzae activates a silent biosynthetic pathway to produce novel polyketide.” ChemBioChem 2012, 13,855-861.
2) Ishiuchi, K., Nakazawa, T., Ookuma, T., Sugimoto, T., Sato, M., Tsunematsu, Y., Ishikawa, N., Noguchi, H., Hotta, K., Moriya, H., Watanabe, K. “Establishing a new methodology for genome mining and biosynthesis of polyketides and peptides through yeast molecular genetics.” ChemBioChem 2012, 13, 846-854.
3) Minami, A., Migita, A., Inada, D., Hotta, K., Watanabe, K., Oguri, H., Oikawa, H. “Enzymatic epoxide-opening cascades catalyzed by a pair of epoxide hydrolases in the ionophore polyether biosynthesis.” Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 1638-1641.
4) Shichijo, Y., Migita, A., Oguri, H., Watanabe, M., Tokiwano, T., Watanabe, K., Oikawa, H. “Epoxide hydrolase Lsd19 for polyether formation in the biosynthesis of Lasalocid A: direct experimental evidence on polyene-polyepoxide hypothesis in polyether biosynthesis.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 12230-12231.
5) Koketsu, K., Oguri, H., Watanabe, K., Oikawa, H. “Enzymatic macrolactonizations in the presence of DNA leading to triostin A analogs.” Chem. Biol. 2008, 15, 818-828.
2) Ishiuchi, K., Nakazawa, T., Ookuma, T., Sugimoto, T., Sato, M., Tsunematsu, Y., Ishikawa, N., Noguchi, H., Hotta, K., Moriya, H., Watanabe, K. “Establishing a new methodology for genome mining and biosynthesis of polyketides and peptides through yeast molecular genetics.” ChemBioChem 2012, 13, 846-854.
3) Minami, A., Migita, A., Inada, D., Hotta, K., Watanabe, K., Oguri, H., Oikawa, H. “Enzymatic epoxide-opening cascades catalyzed by a pair of epoxide hydrolases in the ionophore polyether biosynthesis.” Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 1638-1641.
4) Shichijo, Y., Migita, A., Oguri, H., Watanabe, M., Tokiwano, T., Watanabe, K., Oikawa, H. “Epoxide hydrolase Lsd19 for polyether formation in the biosynthesis of Lasalocid A: direct experimental evidence on polyene-polyepoxide hypothesis in polyether biosynthesis.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 12230-12231.
5) Koketsu, K., Oguri, H., Watanabe, K., Oikawa, H. “Enzymatic macrolactonizations in the presence of DNA leading to triostin A analogs.” Chem. Biol. 2008, 15, 818-828.
Synergistic activities:
Member of ACS.
I have reviewed manuscripts for ChemBioChem, Chem Biol. etc.
I have reviewed manuscripts for ChemBioChem, Chem Biol. etc.
Collaborators and other affiliations:
Collaborators
Professor Yi Tang, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
Professor Chu-Young Kim, Department of Biological Sciences, The National University of Singapore
Professor Hideaki Oikawa, Department of Chemistry, Hokkaido University
Graduate Advisor
Professor Hideaki Oikawa. Hokkaido University, JAPAN
Postdoctoral Advisor
Professor Chaitan Khosla, Stanford University
Graduate Students Advised
Naoki Morimoto, Takashi Tochihara, Kozo Yamaguchi, Takayoshi Saruwatari, Noriyasu Ishikawa, Satru Sugimoto, Ryuta Kobayashi, Hikaru Sugiura, Tatsuya Kitano, Takashi Gotanda, Masaru Ichinoseki, Atsuko Nakane, Takuya Sano
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Takehito Nakazawa, Dr. Yuta Tsunematsu, Dr. Kan’ichiro Ishiuchi, Dr. Michio Sato
Professor Yi Tang, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
Professor Chu-Young Kim, Department of Biological Sciences, The National University of Singapore
Professor Hideaki Oikawa, Department of Chemistry, Hokkaido University
Graduate Advisor
Professor Hideaki Oikawa. Hokkaido University, JAPAN
Postdoctoral Advisor
Professor Chaitan Khosla, Stanford University
Graduate Students Advised
Naoki Morimoto, Takashi Tochihara, Kozo Yamaguchi, Takayoshi Saruwatari, Noriyasu Ishikawa, Satru Sugimoto, Ryuta Kobayashi, Hikaru Sugiura, Tatsuya Kitano, Takashi Gotanda, Masaru Ichinoseki, Atsuko Nakane, Takuya Sano
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Takehito Nakazawa, Dr. Yuta Tsunematsu, Dr. Kan’ichiro Ishiuchi, Dr. Michio Sato
Teaching activities:
I teach four classes a year at University of Shizuoka, averaging two per semester. I teach two classes of Organic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry for undergraduate students. Each of classes has a class size of > 120 students offered to the entire School of Pharmacy. I also teach two classes for Laboratory work. One is for natural product chemistry, which is an undergraduate laboratory class focused at teaching students the basic techniques of isolating natural product, stevioside, from plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni). The other is for synthetic chemistry, which is an undergraduate laboratory class focused at teaching students the basic techniques of chemically synthesizing cinnamic acid by Witting reaction. I strongly believe the combing two lab classes give a starting point to be an expert with chemistry for undergraduate students.
I currently advise ten graduate students and three undergraduate students. I also advise four postdoctoral fellows. During each summer, four high school students from Shizuoka will perform research in my laboratory.
I currently advise ten graduate students and three undergraduate students. I also advise four postdoctoral fellows. During each summer, four high school students from Shizuoka will perform research in my laboratory.