Disclaimer: machine translated by DeepL which may contain errors.
Genta Okude wins the 11th JSPS Ikushi Prize
Takema Fukatsu (Adjunct Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST))
Mr. Genta Okude
（D. student in the third year of the Doctoral Program in the Department of Biological Sciences)
Dr. Genta Okude, a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Biological Sciences, has received the 11th (FY2020) JSPS Ikushi Prize for his "Elucidation of Metamorphosis and Body Color Formation Mechanisms in Dragonflies.
Dragonflies are familiar insects that everyone is familiar with. Biologically, dragonflies are the most ancestral winged insects and are important in the evolution of metamorphosis. They are highly visually dependent, displaying vivid colors, patterns, and polymorphism, and are a treasure trove of interesting biological phenomena. For many years, however, there has been virtually no molecular-level research on dragonflies. However, Dr. Okude has changed this situation. By establishing a dragonfly laboratory rearing system, describing the developmental process in detail and extensively, and developing techniques such as gene expression analysis and functional inhibition experiments, he has put dragonflies on the chopping block of modern biology and made it possible to understand them at the molecular level. By making full use of the research platform we have established, we have shed new light on the evolution of metamorphosis mechanisms in imperfectly metamorphosing insects through the elucidation of genes related to metamorphosis, which had been unknown in dragonflies, and have also made new discoveries about the variety of body colors, from chemical analysis of pigments to elucidation of genes related to pigment synthesis and identification of transcription factors involved in coloration control. He has also brought new insights into the coloration of dragonflies. These are results of his highly original research, which would not have been possible without his love for dragonflies and his strong desire to do research.
The JSPS Ikushi Prize is truly deserved for the outstanding achievements and potential of Dr. Okude's research in the graduate school doctoral course. Congratulations!
Faculty of Science News, March 2021