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Molecular Genetics Lab
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The lab uses genetics to study how information is processed in the neural circuits of the nematode C. elegans.
AboutAbout the lab
Uncovering how information is processed, starting from the simple nervous system of a nematode
The Molecular Genetics Lab studies how information is processed in the neural circuits of the nematode C. elegans, mainly using genetic approaches.
C. elegans is a model organism with a relatively simple nervous system, which makes it well suited to analyzing the nervous system by linking molecules, neural circuits, and behavior.
Using mutants, the lab links genes to behavior and homeostasis, and aims to discover new systems through detailed analyses of neural activity, metabolism, and more.
Key terms
- Nematode
- A model organism (C. elegans) with a relatively simple nervous system of 302 neurons, which can be analyzed genetically.
- Mutant
- An individual with a change in a gene. It provides a clue for linking biological phenomena to genes.
- Homeostasis
- The mechanism that keeps the state of the body constant.
ResearchResearch themes
Animals receive stimuli from the environment through sensory neurons and, based on that information, regulate behavior, development, homeostasis, and more. This lab investigates how information is processed in the neural circuits of C. elegans through genetic analysis of mutants.
*Illustrative imageIntegration of Sensory Information and Control of Learning
Focusing on simple information processing, in which two inputs lead to one output, the lab investigates the integration of sensory information using the odorant diacetyl and copper ions. It is analyzing the receptor for HEN-1, which is thought to be a signaling molecule, and its effects on neural function.
*Illustrative imageImaging of Neural Activity
Taking advantage of the nematode's transparent body and ease of gene transfer, the lab is attempting to visualize neural activity in living animals with Ca2+-sensitive GFP probes. By comparing neural activity in wild-type animals and mutants, it hopes to clarify how information is processed at the level of neural circuits.
*Illustrative imageMechanisms of Forgetting
Learning is a complex system made up of memory formation, retention, recall, erasure, and more. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of short-term memory erasure, the lab analyzed mutants that do not forget, and found that a signal promoting forgetting is released from a particular sensory neuron.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Molecular Genetics Lab are faculty, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and technical staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakeshi Ishihara
- Associate ProfessorManabi Fujiwara
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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: “Caenorhabditis elegans under a light microscope 02” Gannu03 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Integration of Sensory Information and Control of Learning: “Varbuss” Heiti Paves / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Imaging of Neural Activity: “Nervous system - Nervous system 2 -- Smart-Servier” Laboratoires Servier / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Mechanisms of Forgetting: “Soybean cyst nematode and egg SEM” Agricultural Research Service / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (植物生理学研究室): “Lilium stoma L” Jon Houseman / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (
行動神経科学研究室): “Mouse Brain (NIH BioArt )” Courtesy of NIAID Ryan Kissinger / Public domain (cropped) - Related lab
(動物発生学研究室): “Chicken-embryo-1week old” Ben Skála / CC BY 3.0 (cropped) - Related lab (進化遺伝学研究室): “Researcher beside Vials closed by cotton plugs and filled with Fruit fly larvae” Robert Cudmore from Marseille, France / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
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