Staff |
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Professor:
KUBO, Yoshihiro, MD, PhD
1985 Graduated from University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine. 1989 Completed the doctoral course in Medical Science, University of Tokyo. 1989-2000 Researcher, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience. (1991-1993: Post-doc, University of California, San Francisco). 2000 Professor, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School of Medicine. 2003 Professor, NIPS.
Specialty: Biophysics, Neurobiology |
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Associate Professor:
TATEYAMA, Michihiro, PhD
1990 Graduated from University of Tokyo, Faculty of Pharmacology. 1995 Completed the doctoral course in Pharmacology, University of Tokyo. 1995-2000 Assistant Professor, Juntendo University School of Medicine. 2000-2002 Research Fellow, Columbia University. 2002-2004 Research Fellow, CREST. 2004 Associate Professor, NIPS.
Specialty: Pharmacology, Physiology |
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Assistant Professor:
MISAKA, Takumi, PhD
1993 Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Agriculture. 1998 Completed the doctoral course, University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences. 2001 JSPS Research Fellow. 2003 Research Associate, NIPS.
Specialty: Molecular Cell Physiology |
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Research Fellow:
NAKAJO, Koichi, PhD
1997 Graduated from University of Tokyo, College of Arts and Sciences. 1999 Completed the master course in Life Science, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. 2002 Completed the doctoral course in Life Science, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Specialty: Molecular Physiology |
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JSPS Research Fellow:
FUJIWARA,Yuichiro, MD, PhD
2001 Graduated from Hiroshima University, Faculty of Medicine. 2004 Completed the doctoral course in Medical Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University. 2004 JSPS Research Fellow.
Specialty: General Physiology |
During the course of formation of the mammalian central nervous system, neuroepithelial cells differentiate into various kinds of cells to make a fine three-dimensional network. Our goal is to understand genetic control over these processes. As a first step, we have cloned several genes that are specifically expressed in a certain type of brain cells and are investigating their role on cell fate determination. Neural cells are known to leave the ventricular zone after their commitment, and migrate towards destinations. While radial neuronal migration has been studied extensively in the developing cerebral and cerebellar cortices, mechanisms underlining tangential migration of neuronal and glial progenitors remains unclear. We are employing in ovo or in utero electroporation method to introduce exogenous genes in developing central nervous system, and studying mode and mechanisms of neural cell migration.
We are making use of hereditary mutant mice that exhibit abnormal development of the nervous system. We also use in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical technique to study cell lineages during development of the nervous system.
Neural stem cells, which are ultimate lineage precursors to all neurons and glia in the mammalian brain, are present not only in embryonic but also in adult brains, and contribute to adult neurogenesis. We are investigating molecular mechanisms underlying the generation, proliferation, maintenance, differentiation, and senescence of the neural stem cells, which will clarify their in vivo kinetics and function.
An automated system to analyze N-linked sugar chains was developed to study their biological roles during development and tumorigenesis. New retroviral vectors are also constructed for efficient gene delivery, which will be used for cancer gene therapy.
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In Utero Gene Transfer Systems to the Embryonic Mouse Brains
A) We established retrovirus producer cell lines that enable us to generate high titer viruses. The retrovirus carrying lacZ gene was injected into an embryonic mouse brain in utero. The mouse was analyzed at adult stage. Numerous infected cells were observed throughout the brain.
B) In utero electroporation was carried out for plasmid DNA transfer. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression vector was injected into lateral ventricle and electroporated in utero. The cells in the restricted region were observed to express GFP |
Staff |
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Professor:
IKENAKA, Kazuhiro, PhD
1975 Graduated from Faculty of Science, Osaka University. 1980 Graduated from doctoral course at Osaka University, PhD. 1980 Instructor at Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University. 1991 Associate Professor at Institute for protein Research, Osaka University. 1992 Professor, NIPS.
Specialty: Molecular Neurobiology |
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Associate Professor:
ONO, Katsuhiko, PhD
1980 Graduated from Faculty of Science, Okayama University. 1982 Graduated from master course at Okayama University. 1988 PhD from Okayama University Medical School. 1982 Research Associate at Okayama University Medical School, 1993 Assistant professor at Okayama University Medical School. 1995 Associate professor at Shimane Medical University. 2003 Associate professor at NIPS.
Specialty: Neural Development |
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Associate Professor:
HITOSHI, Seiji, MD, PhD
1988 Graduated from Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo. MD. 1993 Board-certified neurologist by Japanese Society for Neurology. 1997 PhD from Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo. 1997 Special Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN). 1999 Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Toronto. 2003 Assistant Professor at University of Tokyo. 2003 Associate Professor at NIPS.
Specialty: Developmental Neurobiology, Neurology |
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Assistant Professor:
TAKEBAYASHI, Hirohide, MD, PhD
1995 Graduated from Kyoto University, Faculty of Medicine. 1999 Graduated from the doctoral course at Kyoto University, MD. 2001 JSPS Research Fellow, 2002 Research Associate, NIPS.
Specialty: Molecular Neurobiology |
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Assistant Professor:
TANAKA, Kenji, MD, PhD
1997 Graduated from Keio University, School of Medicine. 1997-1999 Clinical Fellow in Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University, School of Medicine. 2003 Completed the doctoral course in Keio University. 2003 JSPS Research Associate, NIPS. 2004 Assistant Professor, NIPS.
Specialty: Neurochemistry, Biological psychiatry |
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Research Fellow:
ISHII, Akihiro, PhD
1999 Graduated from Okayama University of science, Faculty of Science. 2001 Completed the master course in biochemistry, Okayama University of science.2004 Completed the doctoral course in Life Science, the Graduate University for Advanced Studies.
Speciality: Biochemistry, Molecular Neurobiology |
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GASR Research Fellow:
OGAWA, Yasuhiro, PhD
1999 Graduated from Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Faculty of Pharmacy. 2001 Completed the master course at Graduate School of Meiji Pharmaceutical University. 2004 Graduated the doctoral course in Life science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies. 2004 reserch Fellow, NIPS.
Specialty: Molecular Neurobiology |
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JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow:
DING, Lei, MD, PhD
1990 Graduated from DaLian Medical University ,China. 2003 Completed doctoral course in medicine at the Hokkaido University. 2003 Research Fellow, NIPS. 2004 JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow.
Specialty: Neural Development and Neuroanatomy |
Cell Signaling that generates proper cell responses to various stimuli is the essence of life. To understand its mechanism is one of the goals of life sciences. This division is aiming to elucidate the spatio-temporal regulation mechanisms underlying cell signaling, focusing on hedynamics of ion channels, cytoskeletons, and adhesion molecules by use of the electrophysiological and advanced imaging techniques.
The subjects of research are,
(1) Cell signaling in response to mechanical stimuli:
Virtually every cell can properly respond to mechanical stimuli, e.g., electrical responses in the inner ear hair cells and cutaneous mechanoreceptors, disuse atrophy in muscle and bone under microgravity, or shear stress induced NO production in endothelial cells. However, its molecular mechanisms are largely unknown due to the ambiguity of mechanotransduction process in cells. We therefore focus on SA channels and cytoskeleton/focal adhesion complex as representative cell mechanosensors and investigate their roles in mechanosignaling through the development of innovative light microscopy and micro mechanical manipulation of the cell (Fig.1). A typical subject is stretch-induced shape remodeling, where endothelial cells align their long axis perpendicular to the stretch axis. This response includes many intriguing functions such as sensation of force direction or spatio-temporal integration of dynamics of stress fibers and focal adhesions during their rearrangement (Fig.2).
(2) Intracellular Ca2+ signaling:
When various mechanical stimuli such as induced by cell-cell interaction or stimuli induced by biological activators such as hormones are given to a cell, the cell exhibits intracellular Ca2+ changes as the responses to them. The Ca2+ changes are modulated and processed to the next signals leading to various significant cell functions. The process called intracellular Ca2+ signaling is one of the most significant and major signal transduction mechanisms in cells of almost all organisms. We use Ca2+ and Na+ imaging techniques, and electrophysiological methods to perform our experiments in addition to cellular manipulations such as microinjection of materials into cells. We presently focus on the Ca2+ signaling and investigate, besides the mechanisms aforementioned in 1), the mechanisms of a) fertilization, b) oocyte maturation in mammals, c) spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations in developing oocytes, and d) the effects of endocrine disruptors on oocytes and their assessments.
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Staff |
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Professor:
SOKABE, Masahiro, PhD
1973 Graduated from Osaka University, Faculty of Engineering Siences. 1975 Completed a master course in Physics, Osaka University. 1975 Research Associate, Osaka University, Faculty of Human Sciences. 1985 Lecturer. 1987 Associate Professor. 1992 Professor, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Department of Physiology. 1999 Professor, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Cell Science. 2003 Adjunct Professor, NIPS.
Speciality: Ion Channel and Cell Biophysics, Neuroscience |
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Assistant Professor:
MOHRI, Tatsuma, PhD
1978 Graduated from Yamaguchi University. 1981 Completed a master course in Physics, Kanazawa University. 1991 Completed a doctoral course in Life Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology. 1991 Jean and Katsuma Dan Fellow, Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University. 1991 Postdoctoral Associate and 1993 Research Associate, University of Miami School of Medicine. 1995 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California Davis. 1996 Research Associate, NIPS.
Speciality: Cell Biology, Cell Physiology |
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Research Fellow:
HIRATA, Hiroaki, PhD
1998 Graduated from Tohoku University, Faculty of Science. 2000 Completed a master course in Physics, Tohoku University. 2003 Completed a doctoral course in Physics, Tohoku University. May 2003 Research Fellow, JST. Nov 2003 Research Fellow, NIPS.
Speciality: Cell Biophysics |