R. Kato

Laboratory evolution in Novosphingobium aromaticivorans enables rapid catabolism of a model lignin-derived aromatic dimer

This study uses experimental evolution to identify mutations that enhance catabolism of a lignin-derived aromatic dimer in Novosphingobium aromaticivorans, revealing a key enzyme involved in its degradation.

Synthetic spider silk forming highly-aligned nanoarchitectures on 2D-material surfaces

This study demonstrates that a 35 kDa synthetic spider silk protein can self-assemble into stable nanowires on 2D materials, enabling new biosensing applications.

Involvement of the splicing factor SART1 in the BRCA1-dependent homologous recombination repair of DNA double-strand breaks

This study shows SART1 promotes DSB end resection in HR, cooperates with BRCA1 to counteract 53BP1/RIF1, and is required for BRCA1 recruitment to DSBs.

Stereoinversion via alcohol dehydrogenases enables complete catabolism of β-1-type lignin-derived aromatic isomers

This paper identifies the catabolic pathway for threo-DGPD in SYK-6, showing it is converted to erythro-DGPD via oxidation and reduction by multiple dehydrogenases, enabling complete catabolism of all four β-1-type lignin-derived isomers.

Refining the application of microbial lipids as tracers of Staphylococcus aureus growth rates in cystic fibrosis sputum

This study refines the use of microbial lipids as growth rate tracers for Staphylococcus aureus in CF sputum by identifying alternative microbial sources of fatty acids and recommending best practices for stable isotope probing.