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Animal Developmental Biology Lab
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The lab studies germ cells and the shaping of the body using avian embryos.
AboutAbout the lab
Approaching the essence of germ cells and the secrets of how forms take shape
The Animal Developmental Biology Lab studies two questions: what germ cells are, and how the forms of living things are determined during the embryonic stage.
The Germ Cell Group combines developmental biology, cell biology, genome science, and mechanobiology to approach the essence of germ cells.
The Morphology Group uses avian embryos and cultured cells as experimental models, aiming to clarify part of the universal principles of morphogenesis.
The Saito Group looks for a desire to know, rather than brilliance, in students who are considering joining the group.
Key terms
- Mechanobiology
- A field that studies how physical stimuli in the body affect the properties of cells.
- Morphogenesis
- The process by which the forms of organs and the body are determined during embryonic development.
- Keel
- A projection that many birds (carinates) have on the sternum. It is one of the distinctive traits that support flight.
NewsLab news
Former graduate students and others established an analysis system for examining gene expression in tiny regions of chick embryos
A doctoral student received the Outstanding Poster Award at the 38th Bioengineering Conference
Using chicken and emu embryos, the lab elucidated how differences in avian sternum shape arise
Elucidated the mechanism of extravasation shared by germ cells and cancer cells
Discovered new cellular diversity in chicken primordial germ cells through single-cell analysis
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to clarify the essence of germ cells, the only cells that carry life on to the next generation, and the mechanisms by which organs and the body take on suitable forms. Research is divided between the Germ Cell Group and the Morphology Group, which use avian embryos and other experimental models.
*Illustrative imageExploring the Essence of Germ Cells
Germ cells arise outside the embryo, and even after migrating long distances within it, they do not become somatic cells and pass the genome on across generations. The lab aims to understand the essence of these cells from the perspectives of various fields.
*Illustrative imageElucidating How Limbs Form
Limb formation is a research model for learning the basic principles of cell differentiation and pattern formation. By attempting to reconstruct limb structures artificially in three dimensions, the lab aims to understand the mechanisms of their formation.
*Illustrative imageElucidating How the Keel Forms
The keel is a distinctive trait that many birds (carinates) have on the sternum, supporting flight. By comparing the sternum and its formation mechanism in ratites, which lack a keel, the lab aims to clarify how a skeleton with a shape suited to each species is formed.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Animal Developmental Biology Lab are divided into the Germ Cell Group and the Morphology Group, and consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorDaisuke Saito
- LecturerYoshiki Hayashi
- LecturerYuji Atsuta
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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: “Chicken-embryo-1week old” Ben Skála / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Exploring the Essence of Germ Cells: “Chick embryo 3d” PaulT (Gunther Tschuch) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Elucidating How Limbs Form: “Embryo, 8 cells” ekem, Courtesy: RWJMS IVF Program / Public domain (cropped)
- Elucidating How the Keel Forms: “NIE 1905 Bird - anatomy” artist not specified; Ernest Ingersoll is the author of the article. / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (染色体機能学研究室): “XBio illustration – DNA Ligase” explorebiology / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (植物生理学研究室): “Lilium stoma L” Jon Houseman / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (分子遺伝学研究室): “Caenorhabditis elegans under a light microscope 02” Gannu03 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (細胞機能学研究室): “Cell cycle showing G0 G1 arrest” Lucia de Diego Mialdea / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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