Staff and specialities
Professor: Kihachiro HORIIKE
1. Molecular physiological chemistry of dioxygen
2. Biochemistry of D-amino acids
3. Enzymology of oxidases and oxygenases
Associate Professor: Tetsuo ISHIDA
Molecular enzymology, Biophysical chemistry of proteins
Senior Assistant Professor: Hiroyuki TANAKA
1. Physiological chemistry of D-amino acids
2. Enzymology of flavo-oxidases and PLP(B6)-dependent dehydratase
Assistant Professor: Atsushi YAMAMOTO
1. Physiological chemistry of D-amino acids
2. Enzymology of flavo-oxidases
Outline of the department
Research activities in this department are centered on the mechanism of
cellular dioxygen metabolism, with particular emphasis on the control of the
oxidative reactions mediated by oxidases and oxygenases. The chemical nature,
structure, function and regulation of nonheme iron-containing dioxygenases and
flavin-containing oxidases are being studied. Present main research projects
focus on:
1) The physiological and pathological significance of D-amino acids in
central nervous systems of mammals.
Research on D-amino-acid oxidase, D-aspartate oxidase and D-serine
dehydratase.
2) The structure, function and regulation of nonheme iron-containing
catechol dioxygenases.
3) Research on protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions by frontal
gel chromatography and Hummel-Dreyer method.