Paul A Nakata

Paul A Nakata, Ph.D.

Research Molecular Biologist

(713) 798-7013

Email

paul.nakata@usda.gov

Positions

Research Molecular Biologist: USDA-ARS
Children's Nutrition Research Center
Houston, Texas

Associate Professor: Pediatrics-Nutrition
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Houston, Texas, United States

Director: USDA-ARS CNRC
Plant Growth Facility
Houston, Texas

Education

BA from San Jose State University: San Jose, California, United States; Chemistry Concentration in Biochemistry

MS from Washington State University: Pullman, Washington, United States; Biochemistry and Biophysics

PhD from Washington State University: Pullman, Washington, United States; Biochemistry and Biophysics

Honors & Awards

Top 2% cited author worldwide: DOI: 10.17632/btchxktzyw.2

USDA Merit Award (18)

Certificate of Reviewing Excellence: Elsevier Plant Science

Award of Recognition, Top 10 most cited author: Elsevier, Plant Science

Professional Interests

Nutrient partitioning in plants and its manipulation for improvements in the nutritional quality and productivity of plant foods

Professional Statement

My research program seeks to understand how and why organisms’ biosynthesize oxalate, catabolize oxalate, and form crystals of calcium oxalate. In plant foods, oxalate exists in two general forms, soluble and insoluble, and each form can have a negative impact on the health of the person consuming the plant food. In the soluble form, oxalate can be absorbed directly from the diet and contribute to the pathological condition of renal stone formation. In the insoluble form, oxalate acts as an antinutrient by binding to certain minerals (e.g., calcium) and rendering the bound mineral unavailable for nutritional absorption. Given the impact of oxalate on human health as well as the important roles for oxalate in the growth and development of the plant (e.g., resistance to environmental stress), a more comprehensive understanding of plant oxalates is desired.

Our current focus is to decipher the pathways of calcium oxalate crystal formation and oxalate degradation in plants. To accomplish this goal, we are taking an integrated approach by combining methodologies from genetics, genomics, biochemistry, and cellular biology to identify and characterize the genes and proteins that make up these pathways. Such studies will not only broaden our fundamental understanding of the mechanisms controlling the formation of the calcium oxalate biomineral, but will confer the ability to deconstruct and reconstruct this biomineralization process in selected crops. This ability will allow us to rationally design strategies aimed at improving the nutritional quality (e.g., calcium bioavailability) and production (e.g., insect resistance) of plant foods.

Websites

Nakata lab

Selected Publications

Zhang C, Lan HJ, Liao LN, Huang MJ, Xu W, Zhang H, Ma Q, Li F, Cheng N, Nakata PA, Whitham SA, Liu JZ. " " Plant Sci.. 2025 Mar ; 352 : 112342.
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Wang L, Lin H, Yang B, Jiang X, Chen J, Chowdhury SR, Cheng N, Nakata PA, Lonard DM, Wang MC, Wang J. " " J Am Chem Soc. 2024 Aug 14; 146 (32) : 22103-22862.
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Lan HJ, Ran J, Wang WX, Zhang L, Wu NN, Zhao YT, Huang MJ, Ni M, Liu F, Cheng N, Nakata PA, Pan J, Whitham SA, Baker BJ, Liu JZ.. " " Plant Commun. 2024 Apr ;
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Cheng N, Nakata PA.. " " Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jan ; 25 (2) : 1149.
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Li J-M, Ye M-Y, Wang C, Ma X-H, Wu N-N, Zhong C-L, Zhang Y, Cheng N, Nakata PA, Zeng L, Liu J-Z. " " Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023 ; 24 (7) : 6240.
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Cheng N, Donelson J, Breton G, Nakata PA. " " BBRC. 2023 Mar 15; 649 : 39-46.
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Rao X, Cheng N, Mathew IE, Hirschi KD, Nakata PA. " " Funct Plant Biol. 2023 ; 50 (1) : 58-70.
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Cheng N, Paris V, Rao X, Wang X, Nakata PA. " " Plant Signaling & Behavior. 2022 ; 17 (1) : 2062555.
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Sprague SA, et al. " " Plant Biotechnology Journal. 2022 Jun 2;
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Cheng N, Mo Q, Donelson J, Wang L, Breton G, Rodney GG, Wang J, Hirschi KD, Wehrens XHT, Nakata PA. " " Int. J. Biol. Sci. 2021 ; 17 (11) : 2871-2883.
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Foster Justin, Cheng Ninghui, Paris Vincent, Wang Lingfei, Wang Jin, Wang Xiaoqiang, Nakata Paul A.. " " Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021 Mar 23; 22 (6) : 3266.
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Hu Qiuhui, Wu Yiliang, Zhong Lei, Ma Ning, Zhao Liyan, Ma Gaoxing, Cheng Ninghui, Nakata Paul A., Xu Juan. " In vitro digestion and cellular antioxidant activity of β-carotene-loaded emulsion stabilized by soy protein isolate-Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharide conjugates. " Food Hydrocolloids. 2021 ; 112 : 106340.
Cheng Ninghui, Nakata Paul A.. " " MethodsX. 2020 ; 7 : 101025.
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Cheng Ninghui, Yu Han, Rao Xiaolan, Park Sunghun, Connolly Erin L., Hirschi Kendal D., Nakata Paul A.. " " Plant Signaling & Behavior. 2020 ; 15 (6) : 1758455.
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Zhao R, Cheng N, Nakata PA, Zhao L, Hu Q. " Consumption of polysaccharides from Auricularia auricular modulates the intestinal microbiota in mice. " Food Res Int. 2019 May ; 123 : 383-392.
Donelson J, Wang Q, Monroe TO, Jiang X, Zhou J, Yu H, Mo Q, Sun Q, Marini JC, Wang X, Nakata PA, Hirschi KD, Wang J, Rodney GG, Wehrens XHT, Cheng N.. " " Physiol Rep. 2019 Apr 29; 7 (8) : e14071.
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Cheng N, Foster J, Mysore KS, Wen J, Rao X, Nakata PA. " " BBRC. 2018 ; 505 (1) : 255-260.
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Hu Q, Du H, Ma G, Pei F, Ma N, Yuan B, Nakata PA, Yang W. " " Food Funct. 2018 ; 9 : 3764-3775.
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Xu HY, Zhang C, Li ZC, Wang ZR, Jiang XX, Shi YF, Tian SN, Braun E, Mei Y, Qiu WL, Li S, Wang B, Xu J, Navarre D, Ren D, Cheng N, Nakata PA, Graham MA, Whitham SA, Liu JZ. " " Plant Physiol. 2018 ; 178 (2) : 907-922.
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Hu Y, Wu Q, Peng Z, et.al.. " " Sci Rep. 2017 Nov ; 7 (1) : 15950.
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Wu Q, Hu Y, Sprague SA, et.al.. " " Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2017 Sep ; 491 (4) : 1034-1039.
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Yu H, Yang J, Shi Y, et.al.. " " Front Plant Sci. 2017 Jun ; 8 : 1045.
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Nakata PA. " " Plasmid. 2017 Jan ; 89 : 16-21.
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Lambert P, Nakata PA. " " PLos ONE. 2016 Sep ; 11 (9)
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Schaeffer S, Nakata PA. " " Plant Cell Rep. 2016 ; 35 (7) : 1451-1-468.
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Foster J, Luo B, Nakata PA. " " PLoS One. 2016 ; 11 (2) : e0149850.
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Nakata PA. " " PLoS ONE. 2015 ; 10 (10) : e0141982.
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Schaeffer S, Nakata PA. " " Plant Sci. 2015 ; 240 : 130-142.
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Hu Y, Wu Q, Sprague SA, et.al.. " " Hortic Res. 2015 Nov ; 2 : 15051.
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Foster J, Nakata PA. " " FEBS Letters. 2014 ; 588 : 160-166.
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Punshon T, Tappero R, Ricachenevsky F, et.al.. " " Plant Journal. 2013 ; 76 : 627-633.
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Li X, Yang J, Morris J, et.al.. " Genetically modified Medicago truncatula lacking calcium oxalate has increased calcium bioavailability and partially rescues Vitamin D receptor knockout mice phenotypes. " J Bioequiv Availab. 2013 ; 5 (1) : 47-52.
Foster J, Kim HU, Nakata PA, Browse J. " " Plant Cell. 2012 Mar ; 24 (3) : 1217-29.
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Nakata PA. " " Plant Cell Physiol. 2012 Jul ; 53 (7) : 1275-82.
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Luo B, Nakata PA. " " Plant Sci. 2012 Jun ; 188 : 19-24.
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Nakata PA. " " Plant Sci. 2012 Apr ; 185 : 246-9.
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Paul Nakata. " Plant calcium oxalate crystal formation, function, and its impact on human health. " Front. Biol. 2012 ; 7 (3) : 254-266.
Nakata PA. " " Microbiol. Res. 2011 Oct 20; 166 (7) : 531-8.
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Nakata PA, He C. " " FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2010 Mar ; 304 (2) : 177-82.
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Park S, Doege S, Nakata PA, Korth KL. " Medicago truncatula-derived calcium oxalate crystals have a negative impact on chewing insect performance via their physical properties. " Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 2009 May ; 131 (2) : 208-215.
Nakata PA, McConn MM. " " Functional Plant Biology. 2007 ; 34 : 332-338.
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Nakata PA, McConn M. " " Plant Physiol. Biochem. 2007 ; 45 (41337) : 216-20.
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Morris J, Nakata PA, McConn M, Brock A, Hirschi KD. " " Plant Mol. Biol. 2007 Jul ; 64 (5) : 613-8.
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Nakata PA, McConn MM. " Calcium oxalate content affects the nutritional availability of calcium from Medicago truncatula leaves. " Plant Sci. 2007 May ; 172 (5) : 958-961.
Morris J, Park S, Nakata P, Hirschi K. " Bioavailability of calcium from modified carrots expressing a plant Ca2+/H+ transporter. " FASEB J. 2006 ; 20 (4) : 196-197.
Korth KL, Doege SJ, Park SH, et.al.. " " Plant Physiol. 2006 May ; 141 (1) : 188-95.
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Nakata PA, McConn MM. " " Functional Plant Biology. 2006 ; 33 (7) : 703-706.
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Franceschi VR, Nakata PA. " " Annu Rev Plant Biol. 2005 ; 56 : 41-71.
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McConn MM, Nakata PA. " " J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004 Mar 10; 52 (5) : 1371-4.
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Nakata PA, McConn MM. " Calcium oxalate crystal formation is not essential for growth of Medicago truncatula. " Plant Physiol Biochem. 2003 ; 41 (4) : 325-329.
Nakata PA, Kostman TA, Franceschi VR. " Calreticulin is enriched in the crystal idioblasts of Pistia stratiotes. " Plant Physiol Biochem. 2003 ; 41 (5) : 425-430.
Nakata PA, McConn MM. " Influence of the calcium oxalate defective 4 (cod4) mutation on the growth, oxalate content, and calcium content of Medicago truncatula. " Plant Sci. 2003 ; 164 (4) : 617-621.
Nakata PA. " Advances in our understanding of calcium oxalate crystal formation and function in plants. " Plant Sci. 2003 ; 164 (6) : 901-909.
Kostman TA, Franceschi VR, Nakata PA. " Endoplasmic reticulum sub-compartments are involved in calcium sequestration within raphide crystal idioblasts of Pistia stratiotes L. " 2003 ; 165 (1) : 205-212.
Nakata PA, McConn MM. " Sequential subtractive approach facilitates identification of differentially expressed genes. " 2002 ; 40 (4) : 307-312.
Nakata PA. " " Trends Plant Sci. 2002 Jul ; 7 (7) : 324.
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McConn MM, Nakata PA. " " Planta. 2002 Jul ; 215 (3) : 380-6.
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Nakata PA. " The generation of a transposon-mutagenized Burkeholderia glumae library to isolate novel mutants. " Plant Sci. 2002 ; 162 : 267-271.
Nakata PA, McConn MM. " " Plant Physiol. 2000 Nov ; 124 (3) : 1097-104.
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Tarlyn N, Kostman TA, Nakata PA, Keates SE, Franceschi VR. " Axenic culture of Pistia stratiotes for use in plant biochemical studies. " Aquat Bot. 1998 ; 60 (2) : 161-168.
Nakata PA, Okita TW. " " Mol. Gen. Genet.. 1996 Mar 20; 250 (5) : 581-92.
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Nakata PA, Okita TW. " " Plant Physiol. 1995 ; 108 (1) : 361-368.
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Nakata PA, Anderson JM, Okita TW. " " J. Biol. Chem.. 1994 Dec 9; 269 (49) : 30798-807.
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Iglesias AA, Barry GF, Meyer C, Bloksberg L, Nakata PA, Greene T, Laughlin MJ, Okita TW, Kishore GM, Preiss J. " " J. Biol. Chem.. 1993 Jan 15; 268 (2) : 1081-6.
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Nakata PA, Greene TW, Anderson JM, Smith-White BJ, Okita TW, Preiss J. " " Plant Mol. Biol.. 1991 Nov ; 17 (5) : 1089-93.
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Okita TW, Nakata PA, Anderson JM, Sowokinos J, Morell M, Preiss J. " " Plant Physiol.. 1990 Jun ; 93 (2) : 785-90.
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Memberships

American Chemical Society

American Society of Plant Biologists

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