Taro Amagata

Taro Amagata

Professor
At SF State since 2008
Phone: (415) 338-7713
Email: amagata@sfsu.edu
Location: SEIC-242

Education

B.S. (1993) Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan.
M.S. (1995) Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan.
Ph.D. (1998) Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan.

Marine Natural Products Chemistry

Marine invertebrates such as sponges and tunicates have given continuous global attention as sources for pharmaceutical leads over the past three decades. Interestingly, recent studies have disclosed some of bioactive substances separated from marine invertebrates are produced by microorganisms. My research group focuses on exploring anti-cancer and anti-malaria potential leads from marine obligate microorganisms separated from marine sediments, algae and sponges. In my group, isolation of novel bioactive secondary metabolites is performed using concise and sophisticated methods employing a combination of a yeast halo assay and cutting edge dereplication techniques. My group also plans to perform medicinal chemistry and to identify gene clusters for promising bioactive compounds through collaborative research. 

Publications

[original articles, a total of 33]

  1. Taro Amagata, Keiko Takigawa, Katsuhiko Minoura, Atsushi Numata "Gymnastatins I-K, Cancer Cell Growth Inhibitors from a Sponge-Derived Gymnascella dankaliensis" Heterocycles 2010, 81, 897-907.
  2. Mayumi Kitano, Takeshi Yamada, Taro Amagata, Katsuhiko Minoura, Reiko Tanaka, Atsushi Numata "Novel pyridino-alpha-pyrone sesquiterpene type pileotin produced by a sea urchin-derived Aspergillus sp." Tetrahedron Lett. 2012, 53, 4192-4194.
  3. Taro Amagata, Jing Xiao, Yi-Pei Chen, Nicholas Holsopple, Allen G. Oliver, Trevor Gokey, Anton B. Guliaev, Katsuhiko Minoura "Creation of an HDAC-Based Yeast Screen to Evaluate Marine-Derived Actinomycetes: Discovery of Streptosetin A" J. Nat. Prod. 2012, 75, 2193-2199. 
  4. Kyoko Nakanishi, Mitsunobu Doi, Yoshihide Usami, Taro Amagata, Katsuhiko Minoura, Reiko Tanaka, Atsushi Numata, Takeshi Yamada "Anthcolorins A-F, Novel Cytotoxic Metabolites from a Sea Urchin-Derived Aspergillus versicolor" Tetrahedron 2013, 69, 4617-4623.
  5. Taro Amagata, Makoto Tanaka, Takeshi Yamada, Yi-Pei Chen, Katsuhiko Minoura, Atsushi Numata "Additional Cytotoxic Substances Produced by a Sponge-Derived Gymnascella dankaliensis" Tetrahedron Lett. 2013, 54, 5960-5962.
  6. Yi-Pei Chen, Chad C. Catbagan, Jeannette T. Bowler, Trevor Gokey, Natalie D. M. Goodwin, Anton B. Guliaev, Weiming Wu, Taro Amagata "Evaluation of Benzoic Acid Derivatives as Sirtuin Inhibitors" Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett.2014, 24, 349-352.

[review article]

  1. Taro Amagata "Case Examples from Past Decades". In Comprehensive Natural Product Chemistry II Chemistry and Biology; Mander, L., Lui, H.-W., Eds.; Elsevier: Oxford, 2010; [Vol. 2], pp 581-621