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Yoshinori KUMAZAWA

Yoshinori KUMAZAWA

Professor, Doctor of Engineering
E-mail: kuma
TEL: +81-52-872-5844
FAX: +81-52-872-5844
Research Course: Biological Science
URL　http://www.nsc.nagoya-cu.ac.jp/~kuma/lab_homepage/kumazawa_personal_page_E.html  
Specialties Molecular Evolution, Animal Phylogenetics, Biodiversity analyses
Keywords Vertebrates, Mitochondrial DNA, DNA Database, Pyrosequencing, Transcriptome, Molecular Phylogeny, Biodiversity
Current Research Our study focuses on the history and mechanism of biological evolution using molecular approaches.
We have primarily studied evolutionary phenomena for vertebrates (e.g., reptiles and fishes) from molecular evolution of genes and genomes to phylogeny and biogeography at the species or higher taxonomic levels. However, our interests are not necessarily restricted by such organismal boundaries.
Evolutionary history has been retained in genomic DNA of organisms. We conduct experiments to obtain DNA data, analyze them using computers to construct molecular phylogeny of species and/or genes. We use the molecular phylogenetic framework to better understand evolutionary processes and mechanisms from the molecular to organismal levels.

Some recent examples of our studies are:

(1) Molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography of reptiles and fishes
(keywords: mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, next generation sequencing, molecular dating, continental drift, climatic changes)

(2) Molecular evolution of genomes and genes
(keywords: gene rearrangements, concerted evolution, tRNA structure, olfactory receptor genes)

(3) Studies on animal biodiversity
(keywords: phylogeography, gene diversity, DNA barcoding)
Selected Papers Karyotype analysis of four blind snake species (Reptilia: Squamata: Scolecophidia) and karyotypic changes in Serpentes. Cytogenetic and Genome Research 157: 98-106 (2019).

Variation and evolution of polyadenylation profiles in sauropsid mitochondrial mRNAs as deduced from the high-throughput RNA sequencing. BMC Genomics 18: 665 (2017).

Molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography of the Indonesian freshwater fish Rasbora lateristriata species complex (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae): cryptic species and west-to-east divergences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 105: 212-223 (2016).

Sex chromosome evolution in snakes inferred from divergence patterns of two gametologous genes and chromosome distribution of sex chromosome-linked repetitive sequences. Zoological Letters 2: 19 (2016).

DNA barcoding of Japanese click beetles (Coleoptera, Elateridae). PLoS ONE 10: e0116612 (2015).

Gene rearrangements in gekkonid mitochondrial genomes with shuffling, loss, and reassignment of tRNA genes. BMC Genomics 15: 930 (2014).

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of air sac catfishes of the Heteropneustes fossilis species complex (Siluriformes: Heteropneustidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 79: 82-91 (2014).