Dr. Masahiro Sota, Postdoctoral Scientist

…Publications

Selection of publications in peer-reviewed journals

2008

De Gelder, L., J. J. Williams, J. Ponciano, M. Sota, and E.M. Top. 2008. Adaptive plasmid evolution results in host range expansion of a broad-host-range plasmid. Genetics. [pdf] In press.

Sota, M., M. Tsuda, H. Yano, H. Suzuki, L.J. Forney, and E.M. Top. 2007. Region-specific insertion of transposons in combination with selection for high plasmid transferability and stability accounts for the structural similarity of IncP-1 plasmids. [pdf] J. Bacteriol. 189: 3091-3098.

2007

Sota, M., M. Tsuda, H. Yano, H. Suzuki, L.J. Forney, and E.M. Top. 2007. Region-specific insertion of transposons in combination with selection for high plasmid transferability and stability accounts for the structural similarity of IncP-1 plasmids. [pdf] J. Bacteriol., 189: 3091-3098.

Ono, A., R. Miyazaki, M. Sota, Y. Ohtsubo, Y. Nagata, and M. Tsuda. Isolation and characterization of naphthalene-catabolic genes and plasmids from oil-contaminated soil using cultivation-independent metagenomic approaches. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 74: 501-510.

Yano, H., C. E. Garruto, M. Sota, Y. Ohtsubo, Y. Nagata, G. J. Zylstra, P. A. Williams, and M. Tsuda. Complete sequence determination combined with analysis of transposition/site-specific recombination events to explain genetic organization of IncP-7 TOL plasmid pWW53 and related mobile genetic elements. J. Mol. Biol. In press.

2006

Kamachi, K., M. Sota, Y. Tamai, N. Nagata, T. Konda, T. Inoue, E. M. Top, and Y. Arakawa. 2006. Plasmid pBP136 from Bordetella pertussis represents an ancestral form of IncP-1b plasmids without accessory mobile elements. Microbiology 152:3477-3484.

Sota, M., H. Yano, A. Ono, R. Miyazaki, H. Ishii, H. Genka, E. M. Top, and M. Tsuda. 2006. Genomic and functional analysis of the IncP-9 naphthalene-catabolic plasmid NAH7 and its transposon Tn4655 suggests catabolic gene spread by a tyrosine recombinase. J. Bacteriol. 188: 4057-4067.

Sota, M., H. Yano, Y. Nagata, Y. Ohtsubo, H. Genka, H. Anbutsu, H. Kawasaki, and M. Tsuda. Functional analysis of unique class II insertion sequence IS1071. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:291-297.

2005

Sota, M. Gene deliverer among bacteria. Nippon Seibutsu Kougaku Kaishi 83: 308 (in Japanese).

Tsuda, M., and M. Sota. Mobile genetic elements for microbial degradation of environmental pollutants. Tanpakushitsu Kakusan Koso 50:1527-1534 (in Japanese).

2003

Sota, M., H. Kawasaki, and M. Tsuda. Structure of haloacetate-catabolic IncP-1beta plasmid pUO1 and genetic mobility of its residing haloacetate-catabolic transposon. J. Bacteriol. 185:6741-6745.

2002

Sota, M., M. Endo, K. Nitta, H. Kawasaki, and M. Tsuda. Characterization of a class II defective transposon carrying two haloacetate dehalogenase genes from Delftia acidovorans plasmid pUO1. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68:2307-2315.

 

Selection of publications in books:

Sota, M. and Top, E.M. 2008. Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Plasmids. In: Georg Lipps (ed), Plasmids: Current Research and Future Trends Caister Academic Press, U.K. In press.

…Education

• 2005 - present Postoral Scientist, University of Idaho Department of Biological Sciences.
• 2004 Dean Prize of Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University
• 2001-2004 Graduate School of Life Sciences in Tohoku University (PhD degree in Life Sciences)
• 1996-1998 Graduate School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences in Osaka Prefecture University (MS degree in Agriculture)
• 1992-1996 Department of Agriculture in Osaka Prefecture University (BS degree in Agriculture)

…Awards

Brian Wilkins Memorial Fund Prize 2006

presented by, International Society for Plasmid Biology and other Mobile Genetic Elements

The second recipient of the Brian Wilkins Memorial Prize, Masahiro Sota, currently workis as a post-doctoral Research Fellow in the laboratory of Eva Top at University of Idaho, Moscow. His doctoral research has focused on plasmids carrying degradative genes and the transposons associated with them, and he has an interest in using the information present in their genome sequences to work out where the plasmids and the pathways they carry were assembled.

Since moving to Moscow he has been involved in a variety of projects related to the evolution and ecology of IncP-1 plasmids and has helped to promote close contacts between the US and Japanese laboratories. One outcome has been the study of transposition into cryptic IncP-1 plasmids to determine the basis for the clustering of insertions in apparent hotspots. Despite it being his first major talk in English, Masa communicated his excitement and enthusiasm for the work he is doing.

The photo below shows Masa being congratulated by Chris M Thomas, along with Don Helinski (far left), Stephen Farrand (left) and Chris D Thomas (right) the day after the award was announced at the Plasmid Biology 2006 Conference at Fallen Leaf Lake.