This group is caring out the molecular and cellular biological studies including biomembranes on the response of environmental stress, morphogenesis, and plant growth. The following researches are being performed in this group.

1. Water channels in salt and water stresses.
Water-permeable membrane protein, aquaporin, was investigated in barley. Transgenic rice plants over-expressing a barely aquaporin was analyzed in root morphology and salt stress sensitivity. Transgenic barley is also under investigation.

2. Calcium-dependent protein kinase in barley.
Calcium-dependent protein kinase genes, which are supposed to be involved in the cellular signal transduction of stress responses, are investigated in barely cDNA library.

3. Salt stress and membrane peroxidation by reactive oxygen species.
Membrane peroxidation was monitored by a fluorescent method, and salt stress induced membrane peroxidation in wild type Arabidopsis plant after salt stress. This membrane peroxidation was reduced in Arabidopsis overexpressing tobacco glutathione-S-transferase (parB plants). Reduction of root elongation after salt stress was, however, not recovered in parB plant. These results suggested that salt stress induced oxidative stress, but removal of oxidative stress was not enough for salt tolerance because salt stress also caused other factors like an osmotic stress to reduce the growth.

4. The transport system of a glutathione-conjugated compound across tonoplast membrane.
The transport of glutathione-conjugated herbicide into tonoplast due to ABC transporter is closely related to herbicide resistance and detoxification. We found that DNP-glutathione conjugate (DNP-GS) had different effects on surface and interior of biomembrane through some component besides lipid and that fluidity difference between surface and interior was lower with than without ATP. The experimental conditions suggested that the component was an ABC transporter, but we have not yet determined.

5. Morphogenesis, environmental stress, and cell death.
Tissue-specific cell death was observed in pumpkin cotyledons during developmental and environmental changes.