[Obituary] Professor Koichi Suzuki
2022 年 23 巻 p. 00-2-
詳細
2022 年 23 巻 p. 00-2-
[Obituary] Professor Koichi Suzuki
Professor Koichi Suzuki, a member of The Japanese Society for Wild Silkmoths and an Editorial Board member of the International Journal of Wild Silkmoth and Silk, since the establishment of the society and the journal (1994) had gone on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 75 years old. His contribution for the journal publication was 4 papers, and 2 paper contribution was also enclosed in books of the WILD SILKMOTHS ’88 (edited by Akai H and Wu ZS) and the WILD SILKMOTHS ’89･’90 (edited by Akai H and Kiuchi M). He attended several International Conference on Wild Silkmoths and presented 3 times Keynote and Plenary lectures.
Professor Suzuki was bone in Ishikoshi machi, a most northern part of Miyagi prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, he selected Nagoya University to start scientific study in insect physiology supervised by professors Kinsaku Hasegawa and Okitsugu Yamashita. Just after the start of his doctoral study he was employed in Iwate University. With the scientific works as well as university education for 14 years he successfully defended doctor theses in Nagoya University and became an associate professor. Since then, one of his scientific interests faced in diapause mechanism in the Japanese oak silkmoth, Antheraea yamamai. During his carrier he found that an imidazole compound, KK-42 terminates pharate first instar diapause of A. yamamai. He proposed the mode of action against the diapause maintenance peptide, yamamarin, and applied to rear the larvae twice a year for wild silk production in Quercus field. He also found A. yamamai paralytic peptide mimicked Bombyx mori diapause hormone. The molecular mechanisms and mode of action is still being analyzed by his former doctoral student.
Professor Suzuki supervised 30 doctoral students and many master and bachelor students. He published more than 100 papers and more than 25 review/book chapters. After retirement in his university carrier, he worked as a chief in BioCocoon Laboratories. In the very recent paper, he found a novel cyclic peptide, named “Naturido” (means “child of nature” in Esperanto) may be a possible candidate of glia-neuron modulator for the treatment of not only senescence but also Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. I regret very much for his death. Hoping all readers keep his valuable contribution to the International Journal of Wild Silkmoth and Silk and his achievement of researches in Antheraea yamamai in your memories.
