Selection Committee for Awards of the Zoological Society of Japan
Committee Chairman Yoshiro Takei

On Sunday, May 21, 2014, from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM, the selection committee for the Zoological Society of Japan Award, the Zoological Society of Japan Encouragement Award, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Ikushi Prize candidates was held at the secretariat of the Zoological Society of Japan. All committee members—Kazuo Inaba, Yoshinori Shichida, Masayuki Sumida, Masakazu Takahata, Yoshio Takei, Koji Tamura, and Eiji Numata (listed in Japanese syllabary order)—attended the meeting. Following a detailed examination of the recommendation letters based on the selection regulations for each award, deliberations were held. As a result, it was unanimously decided to recommend one member for the Zoological Society Award and one member for the Encouragement Award to the Board of Directors, and to propose one candidate for the Ikushi Prize to the Board of Directors.

2014 Zoological Society of Japan Award

The five applicants for this award are outstanding researchers representing diverse fields of zoology, and they met the criteria stipulated in the selection regulations: "researchers who have achieved academically extremely beneficial results that make important and remarkable contributions to the progress and development of zoology." Although the selection process was extremely difficult, as a result of detailed deliberations on the applicants' research content, research achievements, and degree of contribution to the progress and development of zoology, we have decided to recommend the following candidate to the Board of Directors.

Hitoshi Sawada
Professor, Marine Biological Station, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University
Research theme: "Study on the fertilization mechanism of ascidians"

Reasons for the Recommendation

Member Hitoshi Sawada has achieved remarkable accomplishments regarding the fertilization mechanism of ascidians, particularly the mechanism of action of lysin involved in sperm-egg interaction and the molecular mechanism of self-incompatibility. First, he identified two types of lysins from the sperm of the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi and identified the proteasome as the enzyme that degrades the sperm receptor on the vitelline envelope. Next, in collaboration with other researchers, he discovered Themis, a molecule with sequences that vary markedly among individuals, as a candidate factor causing self-incompatibility in the ascidian Ciona savignyi, and clarified the relationship between Themis-mediated self-incompatibility and changes in intracellular sperm calcium concentration. These discoveries have greatly contributed to the understanding of allorecognition mechanisms in animals lacking an adaptive immune system and are also noteworthy for pointing out commonalities with self-incompatibility in plants. Thus, Member Sawada is highly evaluated internationally not only for leading fertilization research in Japan, but also for creating an academic field capable of addressing commonalities between animals and plants. We judge that Member Sawada's research, which has greatly contributed to the development of zoology, is worthy of an academic society award and unanimously nominate him as a candidate.

2014 Zoological Society of Japan Award for Encouragement of Young Scientists

The six applicants for this award met the condition stipulated in the selection guidelines of being "young researchers who conduct active research and are strongly expected to make future progress and development," making this a high-level selection process. As a result of detailed deliberations on the applicants' research content, research achievements, and future potentiality, it was decided to recommend the following one candidate to the Board of Directors.

Shunsuke Yaguchi
Associate Professor, Shimoda Marine Research Center, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Research theme: Analysis of neurogenesis and body axis formation mechanisms in sea urchin embryos

Reasons for the Recommendation

Member Shunsuke Taniguchi is energetically conducting research on body axis formation and tissue differentiation, which are important in early animal development, using sea urchin embryos. Member Taniguchi discovered that the anteroposterior and dorsoventral axes of the sea urchin embryo are not formed independently; rather, cell differentiation and the body plan of the embryo are established through individual cells recognizing these multiple axis signals and linking with one another. Furthermore, he found that the sea urchin permanent blastula, long believed to be composed of undifferentiated blastomeres, is actually an expansion of the neuroectoderm that appears at the anterior end of a normal embryo, and that numerous serotonergic neurons differentiate within the permanent blastula. These achievements are internationally highly-rated as research that has established a new direction for embryological studies using sea urchins. Thus, Member Taniguchi's research to date is extremely important for zoology, and with great expectations for further future development, we unanimously recommend him as a candidate.