Education

Ph. D. in Microbiology, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, 2004

Current position

Associate Professor, Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Science, Department of Applied Microbial Technology, Sojo University, Kumamoto, Japan

Publications (selected)

1. Saito, F., Suyama, A., Oka, T., Yoko, O. T., Matsuoka, K., Jigami, Y. and Shimma, Y. I. (2014). Identification of Novel Peptidyl Serine alpha-Galactosyltransferase Gene Family in Plants. J Biol Chem 289(30): 20405-20420.
   
2. Ekino, K., Okumura, S., Ishikawa, T., Kitada, S., Saitoh, H., Akao, T., Oka, T., Nomura, Y., Ohba, M., Shin, T. and Mizuki, E. (2014). Cloning and characterization of a unique cytotoxic protein parasporin-5 produced by Bacillus thuringiensis A1100 strain. Toxins (Basel) 6(6): 1882-1895.
   
3. Oka, T.*, Ekino, K., Fukuda, K. and Nomura, Y. (2014). Draft Genome Sequence of the Formaldehyde-Resistant Fungus Byssochlamys spectabilis No. 5 (Anamorph Paecilomyces variotii No. 5) (NBRC109023). Genome Announc 2(1). (*Corresponding authors)
   
4. Komachi, Y., Hatakeyama, S., Motomatsu, H., Futagami, T., Kizjakina, K., Sobrado, P., Ekino, K., Takegawa, K., Goto, M., Nomura, Y. and Oka, T.* (2013). GfsA encodes a novel galactofuranosyltransferase involved in biosynthesis of galactofuranose antigen of O-glycan in Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Mol Microbiol 90(5): 1054-1073. (*Corresponding authors)
   
5. Fukuda, R., Nagahama, K., Fukuda, K., Ekino, K., Oka, T. and Nomura, Y. (2012). Purification and properties of S-hydroxymethylglutathione dehydrogenase of Paecilomyces variotii no. 5, a formaldehyde-degrading fungus. AMB Express 2(1): 32.
   
6. Futagami, T., Nakao, S., Kido, Y., Oka, T., Kajiwara, Y., Takashita, H., Omori, T., Furukawa, K. and Goto, M. (2011). Putative stress sensors WscA and WscB are involved in hypo-osmotic and acidic pH stress tolerance in Aspergillus nidulans. Eukaryot Cell 10(11): 1504-1515.
   
7. Oka, T., Saito, F., Shimma, Y., Yoko-o, T., Nomura, Y., Matsuoka, K. and Jigami, Y. (2010). Characterization of endoplasmic reticulum-localized UDP-D-galactose: hydroxyproline O-galactosyltransferase using synthetic peptide substrates in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol 152(1): 332-340.
   
8. Goto, M., Harada, Y., Oka, T., Matsumoto, S., Takegawa, K. and Furukawa, K. (2009). Protein O-mannosyltransferases B and C support hyphal development and differentiation in Aspergillus nidulans. Eukaryot Cell 8(10): 1465-1474.
   
9. Bakker, H., Oka, T., Ashikov, A., Yadav, A., Berger, M., Rana, N. A., Bai, X., Jigami, Y., Haltiwanger, R. S., Esko, J. D. and Gerardy-Schahn, R. (2009). Functional UDP-xylose transport across the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi membrane in a Chinese hamster ovary cell mutant defective in UDP-xylose Synthase. J Biol Chem 284(4): 2576-2583.
   
10. Chigira, Y., Oka, T., Okajima, T. and Jigami, Y. (2008). Engineering of a mammalian O-glycosylation pathway in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: production of O-fucosylated epidermal growth factor domains. Glycobiology 18(4): 303-314.
    
11. Oka, T., Nemoto, T. and Jigami, Y. (2007). Functional analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana RHM2/MUM4, a multidomain protein involved in UDP-D-glucose to UDP-L-rhamnose conversion. J Biol Chem 282(8): 5389-5403.
    
12. Oka, T. and Jigami, Y. (2006). Reconstruction of de novo pathway for synthesis of UDP-glucuronic acid and UDP-xylose from intrinsic UDP-glucose in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FEBS J 273(12): 2645-2657.
    
13. Oka, T., Sameshima, Y., Koga, T., Kim, H., Goto, M. and Furukawa, K. (2005). Protein O-mannosyltransferase A of Aspergillus awamori is involved in O-mannosylation of glucoamylase I. Microbiology 151(11): 3657-3667.
    
14. Oka, T., Hamaguchi, T., Sameshima, Y., Goto, M. and Furukawa, K. (2004). Molecular characterization of protein O-mannosyltransferase and its involvement in cell-wall synthesis in Aspergillus nidulans. Microbiology 150(Pt 6): 1973-1982.
    
15. Mitsuiki, S., Ichikawa, M., Oka, T., Sakai, M., Moriyama, Y., Sameshima, Y., Goto, M. and Furukawa, K. (2004). Molecular characterization of a keratinolytic enzyme from an alkaliphilic Nocardiopsis sp. TOA-1. Enzyme and Microbial Technology 34(5): 482-489.
    
16. Goto, M., Shinoda, N., Oka, T., Sameshima, Y., Ekino, K. and Furukawa, K. (2004). Thr/Ser-rich domain of Aspergillus glucoamylase is essential for secretion. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 68(4): 961-963.
    
17. Kwon, I., Ekino, K., Oka, T., Goto, M. and Furukawa, K. (2002). Effects of amino acid alterations on the transglycosylation reaction of endoglucanase I from Trichoderma viride HK-75. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 66(1): 110-116.
    
18. Nomachi, W., Urago, K., Oka, T., Ekino, K., Matsuda, M., Goto, M. and Furukawa, K. (2002). Molecular breeding of Aspergillus kawachii overproducing cellulase and its application to brewing barley shochu. J Biosci Bioeng 93(4): 382-387.