Naohiro Kato
Associate Professor
BMB and CDIB Divisions
PhD: Hiroshima University, 1998
Phone: 225-578-2004 Office: 226 Life Sciences Building
Lab Phone: 225-578-4741
Office: 226 Life Sciences Building
Lab: 225/229/230 Life Sciences Building
E-mail: kato@lsu.edu
Area of Interest
I study how cells respond to their environments using microalgae and plants, applying genetic, biochemical, and mathematical approaches. Beyond fundamental research, I am committed to sustainability and biomedical innovation, working to establish a microalgae-based industry in Louisiana. My goal is to cultivate and harvest microalgae in salt-intruded rice fields to produce medicinal compounds for asthma treatment. Additionally, I repurpose the leftover biomass to create biodegradable Mardi Gras beads, offering an eco-friendly alternative to plastic. Through this work, I aim to bridge scientific discovery with real-world problems and solutions that benefit both human health and the environment.
Selected Publications
Publications since 2022 (Bolded authors are members of the Kato Lab)
Strain, A.; Kratzberg, N.; Vu, D.; Miller, E.; Wakabayashi, K.; Melvin, A.; Kato, N. COP5/HKR1 changes ciliary beat pattern and biases cell steering during chemotaxis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Scientific Reports 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81455-2.
Ndathe, R.; Kato, N. Phosphatidic Acid Produced by Phospholipase Dα1 and Dδ Is Incorporated into the Internal Membranes but Not Involved in the Gene Expression of RD29A in the Abscisic Acid Signaling Network in Arabidopsis Thaliana. Frontiers in Plant Science 2024, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1356699.
Nelson, G.; Strain, A.; Isu, A.; Rahnama, A.; Wakabayashi, K.; Melvin, A. T.; Kato, N. Cells Collectively Migrate during Ammonium Chemotaxis in Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii. Scientific Reports 2023, 13 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36818-6.
Kato, N.; McCuiston, C.; Szuska, K. A.; Lauersen, K. J.; Nelson, G.; Strain, A. Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Alternates Peroxisomal Contents in Response to Trophic Conditions. Cells 2022, 11 (17), 2724. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11172724.
Ndathe, R.; Dale, R.; Kato, N. Dynamic Modeling of ABA-Dependent Expression of the Arabidopsis RD29A Gene. Frontiers in Plant Science 2022, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.928718.
Please visit the Kato Lab website for more publications.