Eiji Nambara

Professor


Campus

St. George (downtown)

CSB Appointment

Full

Research Areas

Biotechnology, Chemical Biology, Genetics / Genomics, Metabolomics, Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, Systems Biology

Education

Ph.D. Nagoya University 1994

Primary Undergraduate Department

Cell & Systems Biology

Graduate Programs

Cell & Systems Biology
Developmental Biology

Research Description

Plant hormones are low-abundant compounds, which elicit numerous biological processes essential for plant growth and development. Recent progress in functional genomics reveals that elucidation of hormone action mechanism is the key to engineer plants with enhanced performance as well as to evaluating the short- and long-term effects of genetic modifications in plants. My laboratory will study how hormone levels are regulated. In particular, we will focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which regulate abscisic acid metabolism and movement.


Contact Information

Office Phone: 416-978-4668
Office: ESC4024
Lab: ESC4026
Lab Phone: 416-978-1604
Email

Mailing Address

Department of Cell & Systems Biology
University of Toronto
25 Willcocks St.
Toronto, ON M5S 3B2
Canada


Recent News

Oustanding CSB educators earn 2022-23 TA Teaching Awards

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2022-23 CSB TA Teaching Excellence Award! This award recognizes the significant role of Teaching Assistants…

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Congratulations to CSB’s Graduate Student Award Recipients!

Congratulations to our Graduate Students who earned recognition for their accomplishments at our Graduate Student Awards on December 19th, 2022!…

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Publications

2023

Multi‐omics atlas of combinatorial abiotic stress responses in wheat

Da Ros L, Bollina V, Soolanayakanahally R, Pahari S, Elferjani R, Kulkarni M, Vaid N, Risseuw E, Cram D, Pasha A, Esteban E, Konkin D, Provart N, Nambara E, Kagale S
2023, The Plant Journal, 10.1111/tpj.16332

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2020

flasher, a novel mutation in a glucosinolate modifying enzyme, conditions changes in plant architecture and hormone homeostasis

Garrido AN, Supijono E, Boshara P, Douglas SJ, Stronghill PE, Li B, Nambara E, Kliebenstein DJ, Riggs CD
2020, The Plant Journal, 10.1111/tpj.14878

Hydrolysis of abscisic acid glucose ester occurs locally and quickly in response to dehydration

Nambara E, Brookbank BP, Hussain S
2020, Journal of Experimental Botany, 10.1093/jxb/eraa026

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2018

Family Members and Their Individual Roles: An Arabidopsis Arogenate Dehydratase ADT2 and its Role in Seed Development

Xu Z, Nambara E
2018, Plant and Cell Physiology, 10.1093/pcp/pcy222

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2014

The Functions of the Endosperm During Seed Germination

Yan D, Duermeyer L, Leoveanu C, Nambara E
2014, Plant & cell physiology, 24964910

Functional characterization of xanthoxin dehydrogenase in rice

Endo A, Nelson KM, Thoms K, Abrams SR, Nambara E, Sato Y
2014, Journal of plant physiology, 171, 1231-40, 25014258

Designed abscisic acid analogs as antagonists of PYL-PP2C receptor interactions

Takeuchi J, Okamoto M, Akiyama T, Muto T, Yajima S, Sue M, Seo M, Kanno Y, Kamo T, Endo A, Nambara E, Hirai N, Ohnishi T, Cutler SR, Todoroki Y
2014, Nature chemical biology, 10, 477-82, 24792952

Amplification of ABA biosynthesis and signaling through a positive feedback mechanism in seeds

Nonogaki M, Sall K, Nambara E, Nonogaki H
2014, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 78, 527-39, 24520869

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2013

Activation of dimeric ABA receptors elicits guard cell closure, ABA-regulated gene expression, and drought tolerance

Okamoto M, Peterson FC, Defries A, Park SY, Endo A, Nambara E, Volkman BF, Cutler SR
2013, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110, 12132-7, 23818638

Interplay between sucrose and folate modulates auxin signaling in Arabidopsis

Stokes ME, Chattopadhyay A, Wilkins O, Nambara E, Campbell MM
2013, Plant physiology, 162, 1552-65, 23690535

Combining association mapping and transcriptomics identify HD2B histone deacetylase as a genetic factor associated with seed dormancy in Arabidopsis thaliana

Yano R, Takebayashi Y, Nambara E, Kamiya Y, Seo M
2013, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 74, 815-28, 23464703

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2012

Seed biology in the 21st century: perspectives and new directions

Nambara E, Nonogaki H
2012, Plant & cell physiology, 53, 1-4, 22241887

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2011

Thermoinhibition uncovers a role for strigolactones in Arabidopsis seed germination

Toh S, Kamiya Y, Kawakami N, Nambara E, McCourt P, Tsuchiya Y
2012, Plant & cell physiology, 53, 107-17, 22173099

Tissue-specific transcriptome analysis reveals cell wall metabolism, flavonol biosynthesis and defense responses are activated in the endosperm of germinating Arabidopsis thaliana seeds

Endo A, Tatematsu K, Hanada K, Duermeyer L, Okamoto M, Yonekura-Sakakibara K, Saito K, Toyoda T, Kawakami N, Kamiya Y, Seki M, Nambara E
2012, Plant & cell physiology, 53, 16-27, 22147073

Opening a new era of ABA research

Nambara E, Kuchitsu K
2011, Journal of plant research, 124, 431-5, 21698351

ABA 9′-hydroxylation is catalyzed by CYP707A in Arabidopsis

Okamoto M, Kushiro T, Jikumaru Y, Abrams SR, Kamiya Y, Seki M, Nambara E
2011, Phytochemistry, 72, 717-22, 21414645

Functional analysis of abscisic acid 8′-hydroxylase

Endo A, Kimura M, Kawakami N, Nambara E
2011, Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 773, 135-47, 21898254

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2010

Comprehensive hormone profiling in developing Arabidopsis seeds: examination of the site of ABA biosynthesis, ABA transport and hormone interactions

Kanno Y, Jikumaru Y, Hanada A, Nambara E, Abrams SR, Kamiya Y, Seo M
2010, Plant & cell physiology, 51, 1988-2001, 20959378

A small-molecule screen identifies new functions for the plant hormone strigolactone

Tsuchiya Y, Vidaurre D, Toh S, Hanada A, Nambara E, Kamiya Y, Yamaguchi S, McCourt P
2010, Nature chemical biology, 6, 741-9, 20818397

The lesion-mimic mutant cpr22 shows alterations in abscisic acid signaling and abscisic acid insensitivity in a salicylic acid-dependent manner

Mosher S, Moeder W, Nishimura N, Jikumaru Y, Joo SH, Urquhart W, Klessig DF, Kim SK, Nambara E, Yoshioka K
2010, Plant physiology, 152, 1901-13, 20164209

Stored and neosynthesized mRNA in Arabidopsis seeds: effects of cycloheximide and controlled deterioration treatment on the resumption of transcription during imbibition

Kimura M, Nambara E
2010, Plant molecular biology, 73, 119-29, 20099072

Genome-wide analysis of endogenous abscisic acid-mediated transcription in dry and imbibed seeds of Arabidopsis using tiling arrays

Okamoto M, Tatematsu K, Matsui A, Morosawa T, Ishida J, Tanaka M, Endo TA, Mochizuki Y, Toyoda T, Kamiya Y, Shinozaki K, Nambara E, Seki M
2010, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 62, 39-51, 20088898

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2009

Nitrate responses of Arabidopsis cho1 mutants: obvious only when excess nitrate is supplied

Nambara E, Yamagishi K, Tatematsu K, Nakabayashi K, Kamiya Y
2009, Plant signaling & behavior, 4, 1166-8, 20514237

Temporal expression patterns of hormone metabolism genes during imbibition of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds: a comparative study on dormant and non-dormant accessions

Preston J, Tatematsu K, Kanno Y, Hobo T, Kimura M, Jikumaru Y, Yano R, Kamiya Y, Nambara E
2009, Plant & cell physiology, 50, 1786-800, 19713425

CHOTTO1, a putative double APETALA2 repeat transcription factor, is involved in abscisic acid-mediated repression of gibberellin biosynthesis during seed germination in Arabidopsis

Yano R, Kanno Y, Jikumaru Y, Nakabayashi K, Kamiya Y, Nambara E
2009, Plant physiology, 151, 641-54, 19648230

Measurement of abscisic acid and gibberellins by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Okamoto M, Hanada A, Kamiya Y, Yamaguchi S, Nambara E
2009, Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 495, 53-60, 19085147

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2008

CHOTTO1, a double AP2 domain protein of Arabidopsis thaliana, regulates germination and seedling growth under excess supply of glucose and nitrate

Yamagishi K, Tatematsu K, Yano R, Preston J, Kitamura S, Takahashi H, McCourt P, Kamiya Y, Nambara E
2009, Plant & cell physiology, 50, 330-40, 19109301

The Arabidopsis abscisic acid catabolic gene CYP707A2 plays a key role in nitrate control of seed dormancy

Matakiadis T, Alboresi A, Jikumaru Y, Tatematsu K, Pichon O, Renou JP, Kamiya Y, Nambara E, Truong HN
2009, Plant physiology, 149, 949-60, 19074630

Vascular system is a node of systemic stress responses: Competence of the cell to synthesize abscisic acid and its responsiveness to external cues

Endo A, Koshiba T, Kamiya Y, Nambara E
2008, Plant signaling & behavior, 3, 1138-40, 19704460

High humidity induces abscisic acid 8′-hydroxylase in stomata and vasculature to regulate local and systemic abscisic acid responses in Arabidopsis

Okamoto M, Tanaka Y, Abrams SR, Kamiya Y, Seki M, Nambara E
2009, Plant physiology, 149, 825-34, 19036833

Interaction of light and hormone signals in germinating seeds

Seo M, Nambara E, Choi G, Yamaguchi S
2009, Plant molecular biology, 69, 463-72, 19031046

The gibberellic acid signaling repressor RGL2 inhibits Arabidopsis seed germination by stimulating abscisic acid synthesis and ABI5 activity

Piskurewicz U, Jikumaru Y, Kinoshita N, Nambara E, Kamiya Y, Lopez-Molina L
2008, The Plant cell, 20, 2729-45, 18941053

The AtGenExpress hormone and chemical treatment data set: experimental design, data evaluation, model data analysis and data access

Goda H, Sasaki E, Akiyama K, Maruyama-Nakashita A, Nakabayashi K, Li W, Ogawa M, Yamauchi Y, Preston J, Aoki K, Kiba T, Takatsuto S, Fujioka S, Asami T, Nakano T, Kato H, Mizuno T, Sakakibara H, Yamaguchi S, Nambara E, Kamiya Y, Takahashi H, Hirai MY, Sakurai T, Shinozaki K, Saito K, Yoshida S, Shimada Y
2008, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 55, 526-42, 18419781

Arabidopsis transcriptome analysis under drought, cold, high-salinity and ABA treatment conditions using a tiling array

Matsui A, Ishida J, Morosawa T, Mochizuki Y, Kaminuma E, Endo TA, Okamoto M, Nambara E, Nakajima M, Kawashima M, Satou M, Kim JM, Kobayashi N, Toyoda T, Shinozaki K, Seki M
2008, Plant & cell physiology, 49, 1135-49, 18625610

Co-regulation of ribosomal protein genes as an indicator of growth status: Comparative transcriptome analysis on axillary shoots and seeds in Arabidopsis

Tatematsu K, Kamiya Y, Nambara E
2008, Plant signaling & behavior, 3, 450-2, 19704481

Drought induction of Arabidopsis 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase occurs in vascular parenchyma cells

Endo A, Sawada Y, Takahashi H, Okamoto M, Ikegami K, Koiwai H, Seo M, Toyomasu T, Mitsuhashi W, Shinozaki K, Nakazono M, Kamiya Y, Koshiba T, Nambara E
2008, Plant physiology, 147, 1984-93, 18550687

Phytochrome- and gibberellin-mediated regulation of abscisic acid metabolism during germination of photoblastic lettuce seeds

Sawada Y, Aoki M, Nakaminami K, Mitsuhashi W, Tatematsu K, Kushiro T, Koshiba T, Kamiya Y, Inoue Y, Nambara E, Toyomasu T
2008, Plant physiology, 146, 1386-96, 18184730

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2007

High temperature-induced abscisic acid biosynthesis and its role in the inhibition of gibberellin action in Arabidopsis seeds

Toh S, Imamura A, Watanabe A, Nakabayashi K, Okamoto M, Jikumaru Y, Hanada A, Aso Y, Ishiyama K, Tamura N, Iuchi S, Kobayashi M, Yamaguchi S, Kamiya Y, Nambara E, Kawakami N
2008, Plant physiology, 146, 1368-85, 18162586

Transient expression of AtNCED3 and AAO3 genes in guard cells causes stomatal closure in Vicia faba

Melhorn V, Matsumi K, Koiwai H, Ikegami K, Okamoto M, Nambara E, Bittner F, Koshiba T
2008, Journal of plant research, 121, 125-31, 18060348

Transcription factor AtTCP14 regulates embryonic growth potential during seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana

Tatematsu K, Nakabayashi K, Kamiya Y, Nambara E
2008, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 53, 42-52, 17953649

Global analysis of della direct targets in early gibberellin signaling in Arabidopsis

Zentella R, Zhang ZL, Park M, Thomas SG, Endo A, Murase K, Fleet CM, Jikumaru Y, Nambara E, Kamiya Y, Sun TP
2007, The Plant cell, 19, 3037-57, 17933900

Ethylene promotes submergence-induced expression of OsABA8ox1, a gene that encodes ABA 8′-hydroxylase in rice

Saika H, Okamoto M, Miyoshi K, Kushiro T, Shinoda S, Jikumaru Y, Fujimoto M, Arikawa T, Takahashi H, Ando M, Arimura S, Miyao A, Hirochika H, Kamiya Y, Tsutsumi N, Nambara E, Nakazono M
2007, Plant & cell physiology, 48, 287-98, 17205969

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2006

Regulation of hormone metabolism in Arabidopsis seeds: phytochrome regulation of abscisic acid metabolism and abscisic acid regulation of gibberellin metabolism

Seo M, Hanada A, Kuwahara A, Endo A, Okamoto M, Yamauchi Y, North H, Marion-Poll A, Sun TP, Koshiba T, Kamiya Y, Yamaguchi S, Nambara E
2006, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 48, 354-66, 17010113

A quick release mechanism for abscisic acid

Schroeder JI, Nambara E
2006, Cell, 126, 1023-5, 16990126

A plant growth retardant, uniconazole, is a potent inhibitor of ABA catabolism in Arabidopsis

Saito S, Okamoto M, Shinoda S, Kushiro T, Koshiba T, Kamiya Y, Hirai N, Todoroki Y, Sakata K, Nambara E, Mizutani M
2006, Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry, 70, 1731-9, 16819156

Field studies on the regulation of abscisic acid content and germinability during grain development of barley: molecular and chemical analysis of pre-harvest sprouting

Chono M, Honda I, Shinoda S, Kushiro T, Kamiya Y, Nambara E, Kawakami N, Kaneko S, Watanabe Y
2006, Journal of experimental botany, 57, 2421-34, 16798848

CYP707A3, a major ABA 8′-hydroxylase involved in dehydration and rehydration response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Umezawa T, Okamoto M, Kushiro T, Nambara E, Oono Y, Seki M, Kobayashi M, Koshiba T, Kamiya Y, Shinozaki K
2006, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 46, 171-82, 16623881

CYP707A1 and CYP707A2, which encode abscisic acid 8′-hydroxylases, are indispensable for proper control of seed dormancy and germination in Arabidopsis

Okamoto M, Kuwahara A, Seo M, Kushiro T, Asami T, Hirai N, Kamiya Y, Koshiba T, Nambara E
2006, Plant physiology, 141, 97-107, 16543410

Functional analysis of Arabidopsis NCED6 and NCED9 genes indicates that ABA synthesized in the endosperm is involved in the induction of seed dormancy

Lefebvre V, North H, Frey A, Sotta B, Seo M, Okamoto M, Nambara E, Marion-Poll A
2006, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 45, 309-19, 16412079

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2005

Identification of cis-elements that regulate gene expression during initiation of axillary bud outgrowth in Arabidopsis

Tatematsu K, Ward S, Leyser O, Kamiya Y, Nambara E
2005, Plant physiology, 138, 757-66, 15908603

Genome-wide profiling of stored mRNA in Arabidopsis thaliana seed germination: epigenetic and genetic regulation of transcription in seed

Nakabayashi K, Okamoto M, Koshiba T, Kamiya Y, Nambara E
2005, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 41, 697-709, 15703057

Abscisic acid biosynthesis and catabolism

Nambara E, Marion-Poll A
2005, Annual review of plant biology, 56, 165-85, 15862093

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2004

Comparative studies on the Arabidopsis aldehyde oxidase (AAO) gene family revealed a major role of AAO3 in ABA biosynthesis in seeds

Seo M, Aoki H, Koiwai H, Kamiya Y, Nambara E, Koshiba T
2004, Plant & cell physiology, 45, 1694-703, 15574845

The Arabidopsis cytochrome P450 CYP707A encodes ABA 8′-hydroxylases: key enzymes in ABA catabolism

Kushiro T, Okamoto M, Nakabayashi K, Yamagishi K, Kitamura S, Asami T, Hirai N, Koshiba T, Kamiya Y, Nambara E
2004, The EMBO journal, 23, 1647-56, 15044947

The FUS3 transcription factor functions through the epidermal regulator TTG1 during embryogenesis in Arabidopsis

Tsuchiya Y, Nambara E, Naito S, McCourt P
2004, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 37, 73-81, 14675433

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2003

ABA action and interactions in seeds

Nambara E, Marion-Poll A
2003, Trends in plant science, 8, 213-7, 12758038

Hormone evolution: The key to signalling

Kushiro T, Nambara E, McCourt P
2003, Nature, 422, 122, 12634761

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2002

A unique short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase in Arabidopsis glucose signaling and abscisic acid biosynthesis and functions

Cheng WH, Endo A, Zhou L, Penney J, Chen HC, Arroyo A, Leon P, Nambara E, Asami T, Seo M, Koshiba T, Sheen J
2002, The Plant cell, 14, 2723-43, 12417697

Storage proteins

Fujiwara T, Nambara E, Yamagishi K, Goto DB, Naito S
2002, The Arabidopsis book / American Society of Plant Biologists, 1, e0020, 22303197

A screen for genes that function in abscisic acid signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana

Nambara E, Suzuki M, Abrams S, McCarty DR, Kamiya Y, McCourt P
2002, Genetics, 161, 1247-55, 12136027

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