Study of the evolution and species differentiation of biological defense systems against chemicals

For a creature to defend itself from harmful substances, its defense system must continuously evolve. This defense system is associated with various proteins, such as cytochrome P450. In order to understand how chemicals affect different living organisms, detailed understanding of these proteins is essential.

At our Laboratory of Toxicology, we study the defense mechanisms of animals at the molecular level . Targeted species in our research include carnivorous animals such as lions, sea lions, Steller’s sea eagles, and white-tailed sea eagles which are exposed to high concentrations of contaminants; animals are exposed to poisonous or chemically contaminated plants , such as Yezo sika deer, tapirs, giraffes, and elephants; farm animals such as cows, horses, and roosters; amphibians highly susceptible to contaminants in a semi-aquatic environment, such as frogs and newts; and chordates which are the key to understanding how defense systems commonly seen in vertebrates have evolved.