Assistant Professor, Chemistry
School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (808) 735-4868
Biography
Dr. Sakai-Kawada began teaching at Chaminade in 2020. Prior to joining Chaminade, Dr. Sakai-Kawada received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering. His doctoral work centered around pigmented secondary metabolites produced by marine sponge-associated bacteria that were isolated from Puhi Bay and Moku Ola (Coconut Island) off the Eastern shore of Hawaii Island. This study looked closely at (1) the isolation and characterization of several bioactive pigments by utilizing HPLC, spectroscopy, and various bioassays, (2) the gene clusters involved in their biosynthesis via next-generation genome sequencing, and (3) the gene regulation of secondary metabolite biosynthesis via RT-qPCR.
Education
Bachelor’s of Arts Chemistry (Health Sciences Track) from the University of Hawaii at Hilo
Bachelor’s of Science Biology (Cell and Molecular Biology Track) from the University of Hawaii at Hilo
Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa
Publications
Sakai-Kawada, FE, Ip, C. G., Hagiwara, K. A., Nguyen, H. X., and Awaya, J. D. (2020). Characterization of Prodiginine Pathway in Marine Pseudoalteromonas sp. PPB1 in Hilo, Hawai ‘ i. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 4, 1–14. doi:10.3389/fsufs.2020.600201.
Sakai-Kawada FE, Ip CG, Hagiwara KA, Awaya JD. 2019. Biosynthesis and Bioactivity of Prodiginine Analogs in Marine Bacteria, Pseudoalteromonas: A Mini Review. Frontiers in Microbiology, 10(JULY), 1715. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01715
Sakai-Kawada FE, Awaya J, Ip, C. 2017. Secondary Metabolite Gene Clusters in Marine Sponge-Associated Bacteria on Hawai`i Island. Proceedings of the Pacific Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 36(1):89
Sakai-Kawada FE, Yakym CJ, Helmkampf M, Hagiwara K, Ip CG, Antonio BJ, Armstrong E, Ulloa WJ, Awaya JD. 2016. Draft genome sequence of marine sponge symbiont Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea IPB1, isolated from Hilo, Hawaii. Genome Announc. 4(5):e01002-16. doi:10.1128/genomeA.01002-16
