The Japanese Society for Plant Biotechnology (formerly Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology) presented the 2020 Technology Award to JIRCAS Researcher HOSHIKAWA Ken (Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division), Professor MIURA Kenji (University of Tsukuba) and Professor EZURA Hiroshi (Tsukuba-Plant Innovation Research Center, University of Tsukuba).

The Technology Award is a recognition for the development of a high-level expression system for recombinant proteins in plant cells.  Using the "Tsukuba system" technology a world top class level of protein expression (4 mg/g fresh weight ) comparable to heterologous expression system such as E. coli was achieved in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana). The system is applicable for expression of transient proteins not only in tobacco but also in various plant groups as well such as Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Leguminosae and Brassicaceae.

The award was scheduled to be awarded at the 38th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Plant Biotechnology (Tsukuba), but was repoted instead in the June 2020 issue of the JSPB journal due to the postponement of the meeting.

Japanese Society for Plant Biotechnology 2020 Vol.37 No.2 Technology in Tissue Culture Toward Horizon of Plant Biotechnology

Tsukuba-Plant Innovation Research Center

Kitajima et al. (2020) Plant Biotechnol 37: 89-92

Hoshikawa et al. (2019) Plant Cell Rep 38:75-84

Nishida et al. (2016) Science 353:aaf8729

Shimatani et al. (2017) Nat Biotechnol 35:441-443

Suzaki et al. (2019) Plant Biotechnol 36:119-123

Yamada et al. (2020) Front Plant Sci 11:344

Yamamoto et al. (2018) Sci Rep 8:4755

三浦謙治、星川健、江面浩(2018) バイオサインエスとインダストリー 76:382-385

三浦謙治、星川健、江面浩 特願2017-107965