My primary organism of study is Riptortus pedestris, but I am broadly interested in other organisms that harbor symbiotic microorganisms as well.

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★Elucidating the symbiosis factors in insect-microbe symbiosis.

I am interested in understanding how insects and their symbiotic microbes form stable symbiotic associations, with a particular focus on two key questions:

 

1. How do host insects accommodate a large population of microbial symbionts?
2. How do microbial symbionts adapt to the host environment while evading the host immune system?

Using approaches from genetics, molecular biology, ecology, and evolutionary biology, I aim to uncover the "symbiosis factors" that contribute to the stable symbiotic associations, from both the host insect's and the microbial symbionts' perspectives.

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★Cross-kingdom RNAi between insects and plants

Sucking pests are capable of exchanging microRNAs (miRNAs) with their host plants, and these exchanged miRNAs can influence the expression of numerous genes in both organisms. However, the roles of most of these exchanged miRNAs remain largely unknown.

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Additionally, sucking pests harbor symbiotic microbes within their bodies, while plants have their own specific microbiomes (e.g., in the rhizosphere). These microbes may also influence the miRNA profiles produced by both insects and plants. Using a holo-omics approach, I aim to identify key miRNAs in insects and plants that can significantly impact gene expression in their respective counterparts.