Education

Ph.D., Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, 1995

Current position

Professor, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan

Publications (since 2005)

1. Hashiguchi, Y., Yano, D., Nagafusa, K., Kato, T., Saito, C., Uemura, T., Ueda, T., Nakano, A., Tasaka, M. and Terao Morita, M. (2014). A unique HEAT repeat-containing protein SHOOT GRAVITROPISM6 is involved in vacuolar membrane dynamics in gravity-sensing cells of Arabidopsis inflorescence stem. Plant Cell Physiol 55(4): 811-822.
   
2. Kato, T., Toyota, M., Tasaka, M., and Morita, M. T. (2014). Mini-history of map-based cloning in Arabidopsis. In: Shavrukov (ed). Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences (CAPS) Markers In Plant Biology. NOVA Publishers, 1-20.
   
3. Le, J., Liu, X.-G., Yang, K.-Z., Chen, X.-L., Zou, J.-J., Wang, H.-Z., Wang, M., Vanneste, S., Morita, M. and Tasaka, M. (2014). Auxin transport and activity regulate stomatal patterning and development. Nature Communications 5.
   
4. Toyota, M., Ikeda, N., Sawai-Toyota, S., Kato, T., Gilroy, S., Tasaka, M. and Morita, M. T.* (2013). Amyloplast displacement is necessary for gravisensing in Arabidopsis shoots as revealed by a centrifuge microscope. Plant J 76(4): 648-660.
   
5. Morita, M. T. and Nakamura, M. (2012). Dynamic behavior of plastids related to environmental response. Curr Opin Plant Biol 15(6): 722-728.
   
6. Hashiguchi, Y., Tasaka, M. and Morita, M. T. (2013). Mechanism of higher plant gravity sensing. Am J Bot 100(1): 91-100.
   
7. Moirta, M. T., Nakamura, M. and Tasaka, M. (2012). Gravity sensing, interpretation, and response. In: Witzany and Baluska (ed). Biocommunication of Plants. Springer, 51-66.
   
8. Toyota, M., Morita, M., Ikeda, N. and Tasaka, M. (2012). Live-cell imaging of plant gravity sensing by using a vertical-stage confocal microscope and a centrifuge microscope. Plant Morph 24: 23-32.
   
9. Saito, C., Uemura, T., Awai, C., Tominaga, M., Ebine, K., Ito, J., Ueda, T., Abe, H., Morita, M. T., Tasaka, M. and Nakano, A. (2011). The occurrence of 'bulbs', a complex configuration of the vacuolar membrane, is affected by mutations of vacuolar SNARE and phospholipase in Arabidopsis. Plant J 68(1): 64-73.
   
10. Nakamura, M., Toyota, M., Tasaka, M. and Morita, M. T. (2011). An Arabidopsis E3 ligase, SHOOT GRAVITROPISM9, modulates the interaction between statoliths and F-actin in gravity sensing. Plant Cell 23(5): 1830-1848.
    
11. Ding, Z., Galvan-Ampudia, C. S., Demarsy, E., Langowski, L., Kleine-Vehn, J., Fan, Y., Morita, M. T., Tasaka, M., Fankhauser, C., Offringa, R. and Friml, J. (2011). Light-mediated polarization of the PIN3 auxin transporter for the phototropic response in Arabidopsis. Nat Cell Biol 13(4): 447-452.
    
12. Toyota, M., Matsuda, K., Kakutani, T., Terao Morita, M. and Tasaka, M. (2011). Developmental changes in crossover frequency in Arabidopsis. The Plant Journal 65(4): 589-599.
    
13. Kleine-Vehn, J., Ding, Z., Jones, A. R., Tasaka, M., Morita, M. T. and Friml, J. (2010). Gravity-induced PIN transcytosis for polarization of auxin fluxes in gravity-sensing root cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107(51): 22344-22349.
    
14. Uemura, T., Morita, M. T., Ebine, K., Okatani, Y., Yano, D., Saito, C., Ueda, T. and Nakano, A. (2010). Vacuolar/pre-vacuolar compartment Qa-SNAREs VAM3/SYP22 and PEP12/SYP21 have interchangeable functions in Arabidopsis. Plant J 64(5): 864-873.
    
15. Kato, T., Morita, M. T. and Tasaka, M. (2010). Defects in dynamics and functions of actin filament in Arabidopsis caused by the dominant-negative actin fiz1-induced fragmentation of actin filament. Plant Cell Physiol 51(2): 333-338.
    
16. Zadnikova, P., Petrasek, J., Marhavy, P., Raz, V., Vandenbussche, F., Ding, Z., Schwarzerova, K., Morita, M. T., Tasaka, M., Hejatko, J., Van Der Straeten, D., Friml, J. and Benkova, E. (2010). Role of PIN-mediated auxin efflux in apical hook development of Arabidopsis thaliana. Development 137(4): 607-617.
    
17. Hashiguchi, Y., Niihama, M., Takahashi, T., Saito, C., Nakano, A., Tasaka, M. and Morita, M. T. (2010). Loss-of-function mutations of retromer large subunit genes suppress the phenotype of an Arabidopsis zig mutant that lacks Qb-SNARE VTI11. Plant Cell 22(1): 159-172.
    
18. Morita, M. T. (2010). Directional gravity sensing in gravitropism. Annu Rev Plant Biol 61: 705-720.
    
19. Hamaji, K., Nagira, M., Yoshida, K., Ohnishi, M., Oda, Y., Uemura, T., Goh, T., Sato, M. H., Morita, M. T., Tasaka, M., Hasezawa, S., Nakano, A., Hara-Nishimura, I., Maeshima, M., Fukaki, H. and Mimura, T. (2009). Dynamic aspects of ion accumulation by vesicle traffic under salt stress in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell Physiol 50(12): 2023-2033.
    
20. Niihama, M., Takemoto, N., Hashiguchi, Y., Tasaka, M. and Morita, M. T. (2009). ZIP genes encode proteins involved in membrane trafficking of the TGN-PVC/vacuoles. Plant Cell Physiol 50(12): 2057-2068.
    
21. Dello Ioio, R., Nakamura, K., Moubayidin, L., Perilli, S., Taniguchi, M., Morita, M. T., Aoyama, T., Costantino, P. and Sabatini, S. (2008). A genetic framework for the control of cell division and differentiation in the root meristem. Science 322(5906): 1380-1384.
    
22. Ebine, K., Okatani, Y., Uemura, T., Goh, T., Shoda, K., Niihama, M., Morita, M. T., Spitzer, C., Otegui, M. S., Nakano, A. and Ueda, T. (2008). A SNARE complex unique to seed plants is required for protein storage vacuole biogenesis and seed development of Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell 20(11): 3006-3021.
    
23. Morita, M. T., Saito, C., Nakano, A. and Tasaka, M. (2007). endodermal-amyloplast less 1 is a novel allele of SHORT-ROOT. Advances in Space Research 39(7): 1127-1133.
    
24. Yamaguchi, N., Suzuki, M., Fukaki, H., Morita-Terao, M., Tasaka, M. and Komeda, Y. (2007). CRM1/BIG-mediated auxin action regulates Arabidopsis inflorescence development. Plant and Cell Physiology 48(9): 1275-1290.
    
25. Harrison, B., Morita, M. T., Masson, P. H. and Tasaka, M. (2008). Signal transduction in gravitropism. Plant Tropisms 2: 21-45.
    
26. Morita, M. T., Sakaguchi, K., Kiyose, S., Taira, K., Kato, T., Nakamura, M. and Tasaka, M. (2006). A C2H2-type zinc finger protein, SGR5, is involved in early events of gravitropism in Arabidopsis inflorescence stems. Plant J 47(4): 619-628.
    
27. Kitazawa, D., Hatakeda, Y., Kamada, M., Fujii, N., Miyazawa, Y., Hoshino, A., Iida, S., Fukaki, H., Morita, M. T., Tasaka, M., Suge, H. and Takahashi, H. (2005). Shoot circumnutation and winding movements require gravisensing cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102(51): 18742-18747.
    
28. Niihama, M., Uemura, T., Saito, C., Nakano, A., Sato, M. H., Tasaka, M. and Morita, M. T. (2005). Conversion of functional specificity in Qb-SNARE VTI1 homologues of Arabidopsis. Curr Biol 15(6): 555-560.
    
29. Saito, C., Morita, M. T., Kato, T. and Tasaka, M. (2005). Amyloplasts and vacuolar membrane dynamics in the living graviperceptive cell of the Arabidopsis inflorescence stem. Plant Cell 17(2): 548-558.