In this research, we will develop the following three key technologies to reduce N₂O: (i) Enhancement of the activity of microbial N₂O reductase by genome editing, (ii) Design of chemicals that control the rate of N₂O production based on genomic and metagenomic information, and (iii) Development of microbial materials that enables N₂O-reducing microorganisms to function stably in soil. By integrating these three technologies, we will establish innovative ecosystem for N₂O reduction in soil.
Ⅲ-1: Development of genome-edited N₂O-detoxifying microorganism with highly enhanced N₂O-reduction activity
In this project, we develop genome-edited N₂O-detoxifying microorganism with highly enhanced N₂O-reduction activity. For this purpose, we employ rational approaches for enzyme engineering and de novo design involving structure-based methods to improve N₂O-reducing activity of the target enzyme.
Ⅲ-2: Development of inhibitors to reduce N₂O emissions by the combined use of structure-based drug design and metagenome analysis
In this project, we utilize the structure-based drug design to develop new nitrification and denitrification inhibitors that reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agricultural soils. We design and optimize chemical structures of the inhibitors to inhibit target enzymes even from a wide variety of uncultured soil microoganisms utilizing information on N₂O-producing enzyme genes obtained by metagenomic analysis.

III-3: Development of technology that enables inoculated microorganisms to demonstrate excellent persistence and function in soil.
Microorganisms inoculated into the fields are excluded and rarely demonstrate their useful functions, which is a bottleneck when microbial materials are applied to the field. In this project, we create carriers that mimic soil microstructure using substances for microbial stabilization, and evaluate their microbial colonization. We develop microbial materials that enable N₂O-reducing microorganisms to survive and function stably in soil.

Ⅲ-1: Development of genome-edited N₂O-detoxifying microorganism with highly enhanced N₂O-reduction activity
In this project, we develop genome-edited N₂O-detoxifying microorganism with highly enhanced N₂O-reduction activity. For this purpose, we employ rational approaches for enzyme engineering and de novo design involving structure-based methods to improve N₂O-reducing activity of the target enzyme.
Ⅲ-2: Development of inhibitors to reduce N₂O emissions by the combined use of structure-based drug design and metagenome analysis
In this project, we utilize the structure-based drug design to develop new nitrification and denitrification inhibitors that reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agricultural soils. We design and optimize chemical structures of the inhibitors to inhibit target enzymes even from a wide variety of uncultured soil microoganisms utilizing information on N₂O-producing enzyme genes obtained by metagenomic analysis.

III-3: Development of technology that enables inoculated microorganisms to demonstrate excellent persistence and function in soil.
Microorganisms inoculated into the fields are excluded and rarely demonstrate their useful functions, which is a bottleneck when microbial materials are applied to the field. In this project, we create carriers that mimic soil microstructure using substances for microbial stabilization, and evaluate their microbial colonization. We develop microbial materials that enable N₂O-reducing microorganisms to survive and function stably in soil.

2021年度
Manabu Kanno
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Senior Scientist
⦾ Field of research
Microbiology
⦾ Key Words
Environmental Microbiology
⦾ Achievements
Masahito Hayatsu
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Researcher
⦾ Field of research
Soil Microbiology
⦾ Key Words
nitrification, denitrification, ammonia oxidizing bacteria
⦾ Achievements
Toshimasa Yamazaki
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Director
⦾ Field of research
Structural Biochemistry
⦾ Key Words
Iron-oxidizing bacteria, Methanogenic archaea, Community analysis
⦾ Achievements
Kanako Tago
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Senior researcher
⦾ Field of research
Soil microbiology
⦾ Key Words
Denitrification
⦾ Achievements
Hideyuki Tamaki
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Group Leader
⦾ Field of research
Microbial Ecology
⦾ Key Words
yet-to-be cultured microbes, cultivation, metagenomics, plant-microbe interaction, ecophysiology, microbiome
Tsubasa Ohbayashi
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Researcher
⦾ Field of research
Environmental Microbiology
⦾ Key Words
soil bacteria, Burkholderia, Bulk soil, plant rhizosphere
Hara Shintaro
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Researcher
⦾ Field of research
Soil Microbiology
⦾ Key Words
Bradyrhizobium, Nitrogen fixation
⦾ Achievements
Yukie Akutsu
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Postdoctoral Fellow
⦾ Field of research
Protein science
⦾ Key Words
X-ray crystallography, antibody
⦾ Achievements
Toshihiro Aono
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Project Researcher
⦾ Field of research
soil science and plant nutrition
⦾ Key Words
soil microbes
⦾ Achievements
Luciano Nobuhiro Aoyagi
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Postdoctoral Researcher
⦾ Field of research
Microbiology
⦾ Key Words
Microorganisms, Nitrification
⦾ Achievements
Yusuke Kato
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Project researcher
⦾ Field of research
Computational drug design
⦾ Key Words
⦾ Achievements
Nobuhiro Suzuki
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, NARO
Principal Scientist
⦾ Field of research
Structural life science
⦾ Key Words
Structural biology, protein science