Outline of Research
Central dogma is a basic concept in molecular biology that mRNA is transcribed from DNA and protein is translated from mRNA. With the development of next-generation sequencers, a great number of noncoding RNAs have been discovered, but we have revealed that at least some of the noncoding RNAs are translated.
This inconsistency arises because even the basic principle of which kinds of RNAs are translated and which are not is unknown. Furthermore, in recent years, advances in various technologies have led to the discovery of many new types of RNAs and proteins that were previously undetectable.
In our laboratory, we identify these new types of RNAs and proteins, understand how they are produced, and elucidate the functions and physiological roles of these novel molecules.
Our main research interests
(1) Identify new types of RNAs and proteins.
(2) Elucidate the regulatory mechanism of expression of novel RNAs and proteins.
(3) Elucidate their molecular functions and physiological roles using genetically engineered mice.
Research Style
We mainly use omics analysis and genetically engineered mouse technology.
For omics analysis, we are performing transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq, m6A-seq, etc.) and translatome analysis (Ribo-seq, TCP-seq, etc.) using next-generation sequencers, and proteome analysis (DIA, etc.) using mass spectrometry. We are also working on Cryo-EM structural analysis. In addition, we focus on informatics to analyze these large data sets, and our lab has wet and dry specialists, as well as people who do both.
We also apply genetically engineered mice to elucidate the physiological roles of novel RNAs and proteins. We do not focus on specific organs or diseases, but hope that our research results will lead to the elucidation of the causes and treatment of diseases in the future.