On December 25, 2024, the Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at National Taiwan University (NTU) invited Prof. Kentaro Mori from the University of Bordeaux's Dept. of Plant Biology and Pathology to deliver a lecture titled "Understanding Ascorbate Metabolism in Plants to Enhance Their Resilience to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses." In his talk, Prof. Mori provided a comprehensive overview of his team's work in identifying key genes involved in tomato ascorbate (vitamin C) biosynthesis through gene functional analysis. He also discussed the underlying regulatory mechanisms and the critical role of ascorbate in enhancing tomato resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. These groundbreaking findings have significant implications for the development of the tomato industry and provided valuable academic insights to the faculty and students in attendance.
Prof. Mori earned his PhD from the University of Tsukuba in Japan and has conducted postdoctoral research in both Japan and France. From 2008 to 2013, he served as an assistant professor at the Univ. of Tsukuba, and since 2013, he has been a researcher and faculty member at the Univ. of Bordeaux, actively contributing to international research and teaching exchanges. His research covers a broad range of important crops, including tomato, grape, and melon, with expertise in metabolomics, gene function studies, and biochemistry. His work focuses on redox metabolism, the role of the antioxidant ascorbic acid, and the influence of plant hormones in fruit ripening and stress responses.
Following the lecture, Prof. Mori, accompanied by Assistant Professors Li Chang and Yi-Ju Lu, toured the department’s research laboratories, where they engaged in further discussions and exchanges. In addition to sharing their respective research findings, they explored potential collaborative opportunities in stress resistance research using tomato as a model. This exchange is expected to pave the way for future academic cooperation and scientific collaboration between NTU and the Univ. of Bordeaux.