Matsude
Prof. MATSUDA Yudai
松田侑大教授
PhD(Tokyo)

Associate Professor of Department of Chemistry


Contact Information
Office: YEUNG-P5311
Phone: +852 3442-7839
Fax: +852 3442-0522
Email: ymatsuda@cityu.edu.hk
Web: Personal Homepage
ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5650-4732
Scopus
Author ID:
36562133600
Research Interests
  • Bioorganic Chemistry
  • Natural Products Chemistry and Biosynthesis
  • Enzymatic Chemistry

Dr. Yudai Matsuda received his B.Sc. in 2010 and M.Sc. in 2012 from the University of Tokyo under the direction of Professor Ikuro Abe. After a brief period of experience in industry, he returned to the University of Tokyo as a Project Researcher (2012–2013) and was subsequently appointed as an Assistant Professor at the same university (2013–2015). During this time, he obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2015 from the University of Tokyo. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he joined the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Technical University of Denmark, where he worked with Professor Thomas O. Larsen as a Postdoc (2015–2017). He then returned to the University of Tokyo as a Project Researcher (2017–2018). In April 2018, he joined the City University of Hong Kong as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in July 2024. His research focuses on biosynthesis, genome mining-guided discovery, and biosynthetic engineering of natural products.

Selected Publications

(† equal contribution, * corresponding author)

(Full publication list is available here: http://staffweb1.cityu.edu.hk/ymatsuda/publications.html)

  • Tang, J., Matsuda, Y.* “Discovery of fungal onoceroid triterpenoids through domainless enzyme-targeted global genome mining.” Nat. Commun. 15, 4312 (2024).
  • Ji, Q., Xiang, H., Wang, W.-G.,* Matsuda, Y.* “Mechanism behind the programmed biosynthesis of heterotrimeric fungal depside thielavin A.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 63, e202402663 (2024).
  • Wang, H., Peng, C., Chen, X.-X., Wang, H.-Y., Yang, R., Xiang, H., Hu, Q.-F., Liu, L., Chung, L.W.,* Matsuda, Y.,* Wang, W.-G.* “Structural and computational insights into the noncanonical aromatization in fungal polyketide biosynthesis.” ACS Catal. 14, 10796-10805 (2024).
  • Yan, D., Matsuda, Y.* “Global genome mining-driven discovery of an unusual biosynthetic logic for fungal polyketide-terpenoid hybrids.” Chem. Sci. 15, 3011-3017 (2024).
  • Yan, D., Arakelyan, J., Wan, T., Raina, R., Chan, T.K., Ahn, D., Kushnarev, V., Cheung, T.K., Chan, H.C., Choi, I., Ho, P.Y., Hu, F., Kim, Y., Lau, H.L., Law, Y.L., Leung, C.S., Tong, C.Y., Wong, K.K., Yim, W.L., Karnaukhov, N.S., Kong, R.Y.C.,* Babak, M.V.,* Matsuda, Y.* “Genomics-driven derivatization of the bioactive fungal sesterterpenoid variecolin: Creation of an unnatural analogue with improved anticancer properties.” Acta Pharm. Sin. B. 14, 421-432 (2024).
  • Tang, J., Matsuda, Y.* “Dissection of the catalytic mechanisms of transmembrane terpene cyclases involved in fungal meroterpenoid biosynthesis.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 62, e202306046 (2023).
  • Yang, R., Feng, J., Xiang, H., Cheng, B., Shao, L.-D., Li, Y.-P., Wang, H., Hu, Q.-F., Xiao, W.-L.,* Matsuda, Y.,* Wang, W.-G.* “Ketoreductase domain-catalyzed polyketide chain release in fungal alkyl salicylaldehyde biosynthesis.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145, 11293-11300 (2023).
  • Chen, L., Wei, X., Matsuda, Y.* “Depside bond formation by the starter-unit acyltransferase domain of a fungal polyketide synthase.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 19225-19230 (2022).
  • Yan, D., Matsuda, Y.* “Biosynthetic elucidation and structural revision of brevione E: Characterization of the key dioxygenase for pathway branching from setosusin biosynthesis.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 61, e202210938 (2022).
  • Tang, J., Matsuda, Y.* “Discovery of branching meroterpenoid biosynthetic pathways in Aspergillus insuetus: Involvement of two terpene cyclases with distinct cyclization modes.” Chem. Sci. 13, 10361-10369 (2022).
  • Wei, X., Matsuyama, T., Sato, H.,* Yan, D., Chan, P.M., Miyamoto, K., Uchiyama, M.,* Matsuda, Y.* “Molecular and computational bases for spirofuranone formation in setosusin biosynthesis.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 143, 17708-17715 (2021).
  • Tao, H., Mori, T., Wei, X., Matsuda, Y.,* Abe, I.* “One polyketide synthase, two distinct products: Trans-acting enzyme-controlled product divergence in calbistrin biosynthesis.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 60, 8851-8858 (2021).
  • Yang, J., Mori, T.,* Wei, X., Matsuda, Y.,* Abe, I.* “Structural basis for isomerization reactions in fungal tetrahydroxanthone biosynthesis and diversification.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 60, 19458-19465 (2021).
  • Wang, W.-G.,* Wang, H., Du, L.-Q., Li, M., Chen, L., Yu, J., Cheng, G.-G., Zhan, M.-T., Hu, Q.-F., Zhang, L., Yao, M., Matsuda, Y.* “Molecular basis for the biosynthesis of an unusual chain-fused polyketide, gregatin A.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 142, 8464-8472 (2020).

Research Interest:

Natural products exhibit a wide range of biological activities and have been an attractive and rich source of compounds for drug discovery, providing many important pharmaceuticals. Recent advances in genome sequencing technologies and development of various molecular biological tools have allowed the access to many microbial genomes and provided opportunities to “bioengineer” natural products. By utilizing these state-of-the-art technologies, the Matsuda lab aims to further expand the diversity of natural products and seek to design metabolic pathways to afford useful compounds, which could potentially serve as future drug leads. The group’s current research topics include:

  1. Elucidation of the biosynthesis of complex/bioactive natural products
  2. Genomics-driven discovery and derivatization of natural products
  3. Generation and evolution of “unnatural” natural product pathways