Rate My Professor Susumu Katsuma

Katsuma's research centers on the genetic and molecular mechanisms by which insect viruses like baculoviruses and symbiotic bacteria such as Wolbachia manipulate lepidopteran hosts, encompassing sex determination, dosage compensation, behavioral manipulation, and cytoskeletal remodeling. Notable contributions include identifying the Masculinizer (Masc)-PSI complex's role in inducing male-type doublesex splicing in silkworms, Wolbachia genes responsible for male-killing via cell proliferation promotion, and baculovirus strategies for breaching host basal lamina. He has authored key publications such as 'A Wolbachia factor for male killing in lepidopteran insects' (Nature Communications, 2022), 'Baculoviruses remodel the cytoskeleton of insect hemocytes to breach the host basal lamina' (2025), 'The Masc-PSI complex directly induces male-type doublesex splicing in silkworms' (2025), and books including 'Biological Control, 2nd Edition' (2022) and 'The Science of Silkworms: Baculoviruses that Manipulate Silkworm Larval Behavior' (2020). Katsuma has earned prestigious awards, including the Empress Teimei Memorial Silkworm and Silk Science Award (2021), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Award (2017), the Japan Silkworm and Silk Association Award (2018), and the Nagase Award for Research Promotion (2022). He leads multiple major grants on pathogen-host interactions, advancing insect pathology, biotechnology applications, and evolutionary biology.