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Protein Crystallography Lab (Kurisu Lab)
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The lab explores the mechanisms of photosynthesis and biological movement from the three-dimensional structures of proteins.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding biological functions from the three-dimensional structures of proteins
The Protein Crystallography Lab is a structural biology lab that seeks to understand biological functions based on three-dimensional structure.
While valuing the tradition of protein crystallography, the lab also uses NMR and cryo-electron microscopy as complementary methods.
Currently, the lab is pursuing structural studies of proteins involved in photosynthesis and biological movement.
The lab is a cooperating chair of the Faculty and Graduate School of Science and a cooperating area of the Faculty and Graduate School of Engineering.
Key terms
- Structural biology
- A field that seeks to understand biological functions from the three-dimensional structures of proteins and other molecules. It is both a measurement science and a molecular-level life science
- Protein crystallography
- A method of crystallizing a protein and determining its three-dimensional structure from the crystal structure
- Dynein
- A microtubule-based motor protein. It changes its three-dimensional structure depending on its nucleotide state and thereby generates movement
- Ferredoxin
- A protein that is reduced by photosystem I and passes electrons to various enzymes
ResearchResearch themes
In living organisms, proteins function while forming networks. The lab crystallizes proteins in the state of complexes and aims to understand life systems from their crystal structures.
*Illustrative imageEnergy conversion and metabolism in photosynthesis
The lab crystallizes the membrane protein complexes that function in photosynthesis and the proteins around them, and investigates how they work from their structures. Targets include the network in which reducing power is distributed from the photosystem I complex, via ferredoxin, to various metabolic reactions.
*Illustrative imageDynein, a giant molecular motor
The lab aims to fully understand the motor function of dynein, a microtubule-based motor protein. It carries out crystal structure analysis of cytoplasmic dynein and axonemal dynein.
*Illustrative imagePrecise structural analysis of metalloproteins
The lab studies metalloproteins that have iron, copper, or other metals as their redox centers. Applying X-ray free-electron lasers and neutron structure analysis, it analyzes structures more precisely while strictly controlling the redox state.
MembersFaculty
Members of the Protein Crystallography Lab consist of faculty, researchers, administrative staff, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorGenji Kurisu
- Associate ProfessorAkihiro Kawamoto
- Project Associate ProfessorTakanori Nakane
- Project Associate ProfessorYu Yu
- Project Assistant ProfessorSoichiro Seki
- Project Assistant ProfessorCharoenwattanasatien Ratana
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “SHOC2 Protein Crystal Structure” Achaparro0600 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Energy conversion and metabolism in photosynthesis: “Photosystem Model” Talssss / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Dynein, a giant molecular motor: “Platform for protein crystallography and X-ray scattering” Evgeny Pelevin / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Precise structural analysis of metalloproteins: “European XFEL DESY Beschleunigermodule 2” Dirtsc / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (超分子構造解析学グループ): “National Synchrotron Light Source II Quadrupole Magnet Model” Henrysz / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (蛋白質有機化学研究室
（北條研） ): “Peptide synthesizer” Michael Pereckas from Milwaukee, WI, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped) - Related lab (電子構造生物学研究室
（加藤研） ): “FEI Titan 50-300 PICO” ER-C, Forschungszentrum Jülich / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (機能構造計測学グループ): “900 MHz unshielded Oxford magnet Svenskt NMR centrum Gothenburg” Adville / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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