Kouichi Funato

Last Updated :2025/07/05

Affiliations, Positions
Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Professor
E-mail
kfunatohiroshima-u.ac.jp
Self-introduction
We are investigating the transport mechanisms that determine the subcellular localization of lipids and their roles in cellular functions at the molecular-genetic level. We are also developing applied researches for mass production of lipids using yeast as a host.

Basic Information

Major Professional Backgrounds

  • 2024/10/01, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Professor
  • 2019/04/01, 2024/09/30, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Associate Professor
  • 2007/04/01, 2019/03/31, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Associate Professor
  • 2004/03/01, 2007/03/31, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Associate Professor
  • 2002/09, 2004/02, University of Geneva, Department of Biochemistry, Maitre Assistant
  • 1998/05, 2002/08, University of Basel, Biozentrum, Post Doctoral Researcher
  • 1997/04, 1998/03, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Special Postdoctoral Researcher
  • 1996/08, 1997/01, Washington University School of Medicine, Post Doctoral Researcher
  • 1994/08, 1996/07, Washington University School of Medicine, JSPS Post Doctoral Fellowship

Educational Backgrounds

  • The University of Tokushima, Graduate School, Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan, 1991/04, 1994/03
  • The University of Tokushima, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Japan, 1985/04, 1989/03

Academic Degrees

  • Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Science, The University of Tokushima
  • Master of Pharmaceutical Science, The University of Tokushima

Educational Activity

  • [Bachelor Degree Program] School of Applied Biological Science : Department of Applied Biological Science : Molecular Agro-Life Science Program
  • [Master's Program] Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life : Division of Integrated Sciences for Life : Program of Food and AgriLife Science
  • [Doctoral Program] Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life : Division of Integrated Sciences for Life : Program of Food and AgriLife Science

Research Fields

  • Agricultural sciences;Agricultural chemistry;Applied microbiology
  • Agricultural sciences;Agricultural chemistry;Applied biochemistry

Research Keywords

  • yeast
  • lipids
  • synthesis
  • traffic
  • funtions

Educational Activity

Course in Charge

  1. 2025, Liberal Arts Education Program1, 3Term, Cell Science
  2. 2025, Liberal Arts Education Program1, Intensive, Cell Science
  3. 2025, Liberal Arts Education Program1, 3Term, Food safety and health science
  4. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Intensive, Laboratory Work in General Chemistry
  5. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 2Term, Introduction to Microbiology
  6. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 4Term, Research Front of Food and AgriLife Science
  7. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Graduation Thesis I
  8. 2025, Undergraduate Education, First Semester, Graduation Thesis II
  9. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Graduation Thesis III
  10. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Intensive, Laboratory Work in Molecular Agro-life ScienceIII
  11. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 4Term, Molecular Cell Biology
  12. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 1Term, Cell Technology
  13. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 4Term, Bio-Analytical Science
  14. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 3Term, Reading of Foreign Literature in Molecular Agro-Life Science
  15. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Intensive, (AIMS)Molecular Agro-life Science
  16. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Intensive, Molecular Agro-life Science
  17. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 1Term, Exercises in Food andAgriLife Science A
  18. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 2Term, Exercises in Food andAgriLife Science A
  19. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 3Term, Exercises in Food andAgriLife Science B
  20. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 4Term, Exercises in Food andAgriLife Science B
  21. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Year, Research for Academic Degree Dissertation in Food andAgriLife Science
  22. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 2Term, Applied Molecular Cell Biology I
  23. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 4Term, Applied Molecular Cell Biology II
  24. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Year, Research for Academic Degree Dissertation in Integrated Life Sciences

Research Activities

Academic Papers

  1. The tricalbin family of membrane contact site tethers is involved in the transcriptional responses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to glucose, JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY, 300(9), 202409
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  2. Ceramide sorting into non-vesicular transport is independent of acyl chain length in budding yeast, BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS, 715, 20240630
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  3. Membrane contact sites regulate vacuolar fission via sphingolipid metabolism, ELIFE, 12, 20240327
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  4. Protein sorting upon exit from the endoplasmic reticulum dominates Golgi biogenesis in budding yeast, FEBS LETTERS, 598(5), 548-555, 202403
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  5. Vacuole membrane contact sites regulate liquid-ordered domain formation during glucose starvation, FEBS LETTERS, 597(11), 1462-1468, 202306
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  6. Quality-controlled GPI-anchored protein sorting, 95(2), 20230425
  7. Quality-controlled ceramide-based GPI-anchored protein sorting into selective ER exit site, Cell Reports, 39(5), 110768, 202205
  8. The Ceramide Synthase Subunit Lac1 Regulates Cell Growth and Size in Fission Yeast, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, 23(1), 202201
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  9. Membrane Contact Sites in Yeast: Control Hubs of Sphingolipid Homeostasis, Membranes, 11, 971, 2021
  10. Structural analysis of the GPI glycan, PLOS ONE, 16(9), 20210916
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  11. Protocol for measuring sphingolipid metabolism in budding yeast, STAR PROTOCOLS, 2(2), 20210618
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  12. Cold-sensitive phenotypes of a yeast null mutant of ARV1 support its role as a GPI flippase, FEBS LETTERS, 594(15), 2431-2439, 202008
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  13. A defect in GPI synthesis as a suggested mechanism for the role ofARV1in intellectual disability and seizures, NEUROGENETICS, 21(4), 259-267, 202010
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  14. Tricalbins are required for nonvesicular ceramide transport at ER-Golgi contacts and modulate lipid droplet biogenesis., iScience, 2020
  15. Expression of two glutamate decarboxylase genes in Lactobacillus brevis during gamma-aminobutyric acid production with date residue extract, BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY, 84(5), 1069-1072, 202005
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  16. Vesicular and non-vesicular lipid export from the ER to the secretory pathway., Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids., 2020
  17. Ceramide chain length-dependent protein sorting into selective endoplasmic reticulum exit sites, SCIENCE ADVANCES, 6(50), 202012
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  18. Sphingolipid/Pkh1/2-TORC1/Sch9 Signaling Regulates Ribosome Biogenesis in Tunicamycin-Induced Stress Response in Yeast, GENETICS, 212(1), 175-186, 201905
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  19. Lysophospholipids Facilitate COPII Vesicle Formation, CURRENT BIOLOGY, 28(12), 1950-+, 20180618
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  20. Gamma-aminobutyric acid fermentation with date residue by a lactic acid bacterium, &ITLactobacillus brevis&IT, JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCE AND BIOENGINEERING, 125(3), 316-319, 201803
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  21. Protection mechanisms against aberrant metabolism of sphingolipids in budding yeast, CURRENT GENETICS, 64(5), 1021-1028, 201810
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  22. Protective role of the HOG pathway against the growth defect caused by impaired biosynthesis of complex sphingolipids in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Mol. Microbiol., 107(3), 363-386, 201802
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  23. Arp2/3 complex and Mps3 are required for regulation of ribosome biosynthesis in the secretory stress response., Yeast, 34(4), 155-163, 201704
  24. Complementation analysis reveals a potential role of human ARV1 in GPI anchor biosynthesis., Yeast, 33, 37-42, 201602
  25. A lipid regulator working at the cleavage furrow, Cell Cycle, 15(10), 1315-1316, 20160518
  26. Neuronal deficiency of ARV1 causes an autosomal recessive epileptic encephalopathy., Hum Mol Genet., 25(14), 3042-3054, 20160715
  27. COPII Coat Composition Is Actively Regulated by Luminal Cargo Maturation, Curr. Biol., 25(2), 152-162, 20150119
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  28. SMY2 and SYH1 suppress defects in ribosome biogenesis caused by ebp2 mutations, Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 79(9), 1481-1483, 20150902
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  29. Sphingolipids regulate telomere clustering by affecting the transcription of genes involved in telomere homeostasis, J. Cell Sci., 128(14), 2454-2467, 20150715
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  30. The essential function of Rrs1 in ribosome biogenesis is conserved in budding and fission yeasts, Yeast, 32(9), 607-614, 2015
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  31. Producing human ceramide-NS by metabolic engineering using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sci. Rep., 5, 20151117
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  32. Osh proteins regulate COPII-mediated vesicular transport of ceramide from the endoplasmic reticulum in budding yeast, J. Cell Sci., 127(2), 376-387, 20140115
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  33. Metabolic labeling of yeast sphingolipids with radioactive D-erythro-[4,5-3H]dihydrosphingosine., Bio-Protocol (http://www.bio-protocol.org), 3(16), 201308
  34. Perturbation of sphingolipid metabolism induces endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis in budding yeast, Mol. Microbiol., 86(5), 1246-1261, 2012
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  35. The yeast p24 complex regulates GPI-anchored protein transport and quality control by monitoring anchor remodeling, Mol. Biol. Cell, 22(16), 2924-2936, 20110815
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  36. Functional Interactions between Sphingolipids and Sterols in Biological Membranes Regulating Cell Physiology, Mol. Biol. Cell, 20(7), 2083-2095, 2009
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  37. Yeast ARV1 is required for efficient delivery of an early GPI intermediate to the first mannosyltransferase during GPI assembly and controls lipid flow from the endoplasmic reticulum., Mol. Biol. Cell, 19, 2069-2082, 20080501
  38. Ethanol-induced death in yeast exhibits features of apoptosis mediated by mitochondrial fission pathway, FEBS Lett., 581(16), 2935-2942, 20070626
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  39. Sphingoid base is required for translation initiation during heat stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Mol. Biol. Cell, 17(3), 1164-1175, 2006
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  40. Lcb4p is a key regulator of ceramide synthesis from exogenous long chain sphingoid base in Saccharomyces cerevisiae., J. Biol. Chem., 278(9), 7325-7334, 20030228
  41. Biosynthesis and trafficking of sphingolipids in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae., Biochemistry, 41(51), 15105-15114, 20021224
  42. Sphingolipid biosynthesis and traffic in yeast., Seikagaku, 74(4), 317-321, 20020401
  43. Sphingolipids are required for the stable membrane association of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins in yeast., J. Biol. Chem., 277(51), 49538-49544, 20021220
  44. Vesicular and nonvesicular transport of ceramide from ER to the Golgi apparatus in yeast., J. Cell Biol., 155(6), 949-959, 20011210
  45. Sphingoid base synthesis requirement for endocytosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae., EMBO J., 19(12), 2824-2833, 20000615
  46. A Salmonella virulence protein inhibits cellular trafficking., EMBO J., 18(14), 3924-3933, 19990715
  47. A novel plasma factor initiating complement activation on cetylmannoside-modified liposomes in human plasma., Int J Pharm, 164, 91-102, 1998
  48. Enhancing effect of cholesterol on the elimination of liposomes from circulation is mediated by complement activation., Int J Pharm, 156, 27-37, 1997
  49. Sequential actions of Rab5 and Rab7 regulate endocytosis in the Xenopus Oocyte., J. Cell Biol., 136(6), 1227-1237, 19970324
  50. Rab7 regulates transport from early to late endocytic compartments in Xenopus Oocytes., J. Biol. Chem., 272(20), 13055-13059, 19970516
  51. Reconstitution of phagosome-lysosome fusion in streptolysin O-permeabilized cells., J. Biol. Chem., 272(26), 16147-16151, 19970627
  52. Biopharmaceutical evaluation of the liposomes prepared by rehydration of freeze-dried empty liposomes (FDELs) with an aqueous solution of a drug., Biopharm Drug Dispos., 17(7), 589-605, 199610
  53. The complement- but not mannose receptor-mediated phagocytosis is involved in the hepatic uptake of cetylmannoside-modified liposomes in situ., J Drug Target, 2, 141-146, 1994
  54. Plasma factor triggering alternative complement pathway activation by liposomes., Pharm Res., 11, 372-376, 199403
  55. Enhanced hepatic uptake of liposomes through complement activation depending on the size of liposomes., Pharm Res., 11(3), 402-406, 199403
  56. Contribution of complement system on destabilization of liposomes composed of hydrogenated egg phosphatidylcholine in rat fresh plasma., Biochem. Biophys. Acta, 1103, 198-204, 199201
  57. Effect of species differences on complement activation by cetylmannoside-modified liposomes in fresh plasma., Drug Delivery System, 7, 165-168, 1992

Publications such as books

  1. 2018, Advances in Industrial Applications of Yeast, Koji-molds, and Lactic Acid Bacteria, 2018, 1月, Joint work, J
  2. 2006, Sphingolipid Biology, [Sphingolipid Trafficking] pp.123-139, 2006, 0, Scholarly Book, Joint work, 4431341986, 531

External Funds

Acceptance Results of Competitive Funds

  1. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)), 2023, 2026
  2. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)), 2021, 2023
  3. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)), 2019, 2022
  4. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)), 2019, 2021
  5. KAKENHI, 2016, 2018
  6. 2013, 2015
  7. KAKENHI, 2013, 2015
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  8. KAKENHI, Linkage between ribosome synthesis and vesicle transport, 2010, 2012
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  9. KAKENHI, Analysis of the physiological significance of GPI flippase and synthesis, 2009, 2011
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  10. KAKENHI, Alteration of endocytic pathway and lipid homeostasis in H_2O_2-induced apoptosis, 2007, 2008
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