Masahiro Takagi Professor
School of Materials Science（Department of Materials Science・Biofunction and Organization）

■Degrees

Bachelor of Engineering (1982), Master of Engineering (1984), Doctor of Engineering (1990)

■Professional Career

1985 Research Associate Osaka Univ., 1990 Postdoctoral Fellow Univ. California, Davis, 1994 Associate Professor Osaka Univ., 1996 Visiting Associate Professor Tokyo Institute of Technology, 1997 Visiting Associate Professor Nara Advanced Institute of Science and Technology,2001 Professor Japan Advanced Insititute of Science and Technology

■Specialties

Signal transduction, Environmental stress, Model Membrane

■Research Interests

Thermostable proteins
We are interested in thermostable proteins synthesized by hyperthermophilic archaeon. Structure-function relationsips, improvement of enzyme functions by protein engineering, application of thermostable proteins in the fields of medical science, food industries and environment remediation are involved.
Stress response
Intracellular signal transduction by external physical stresses (light, heavy metal, electric magnetic field etc.) will be studied. We are interested in signals related to apoptotic responses.
Protein folding process
Folding process especially amyloid formation will be intensively studied. Neural cell death caused by amyloids is also involved.

■Publications