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Insect Genetics Lab
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A lab that uses the silkworm as a model to investigate the mechanisms of sex determination and diapause in insects at the gene level.
AboutAbout the lab
Unraveling how insects work, starting with the silkworm
The Insect Genetics Lab uses the silkworm as a model to study the mechanisms of lepidopteran insects at the molecular level.
Through gene searches, functional analysis, and genome comparisons, the lab tackles questions such as how sex is determined, why silkworms enter diapause as eggs, and why they feed only on mulberry.
The lab also investigates how Wolbachia, a symbiotic bacterium, manipulates host sex, and how baculoviruses manipulate their host insects.
Building on knowledge gained from basic research, the lab aims to breed silkworms that can contribute to the development of the sericulture industry.
Key terms
- Wolbachia
- A symbiotic bacterium that lives inside insect cells. It manipulates the sex and reproduction of its host, for example by killing only male hosts.
- Baculovirus
- A virus that infects the larvae of butterflies and moths, among others. It is known to alter the behavior of its host.
- Genome editing
- A technology that alters gene function by cutting or rewriting sequences at targeted locations in the genome.
NewsLab news
Guidance session for the department's graduate school entrance exam (Schedule B) held (10/17)
Paper on clock genes and eclosion rhythm published in Biological Rhythm Research
Paper on a Wolbachia factor that regulates host cell proliferation published in mBio
Paper on morphological changes accompanying domestication of the wild silkworm (Bombyx mandarina) published in PLoS Biology
ResearchResearch themes
Using the silkworm as a model, the lab aims to clarify at the molecular level the mechanisms underlying sex determination, diapause, and feeding habits in lepidopteran insects. It also aims to apply knowledge from basic research to create silkworms that are easy to rear and have superior traits.
*Illustrative imageHow silkworm sex is determined
Silkworms become female when they have a W chromosome. The lab has shown that a small RNA derived from the W chromosome suppresses the function of a masculinizing gene, resulting in female development, and is now working to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which the masculinizing gene induces maleness.
*Illustrative imageHow silkworm diapause is regulated
Silkworms enter diapause at the egg stage, and whether they do so is determined by the environment the mother experienced. Through genome comparisons and gene functional analysis, the lab investigates how differences arise between strains that enter diapause regardless of environment and strains that do not.
*Illustrative imageHow silkworm food preference is determined
Although silkworms normally eat only mulberry, some strains also eat other plants. The lab searches for the causal genes to understand how feeding habits are determined, and is also knocking out digestive enzyme genes to investigate how silkworms digest the nutrients in mulberry leaves.
*Illustrative imageImproving genome editing technology in silkworms
Genome editing has made it possible to efficiently disrupt gene function in silkworms as well, but it cannot yet be called a highly versatile technique. To make the silkworm a more useful research model, the lab is developing efficient, advanced genome editing technologies.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty, project researchers, academic specialist staff, doctoral and master's students, fourth-year undergraduates in the Faculty of Agriculture, faculty with concurrent appointments, and part-time lecturers.As of 2026
- ProfessorSusumu KatsumaPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorTakashi KiuchiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorKenta TomiharaPublications ↗
- Project Assistant ProfessorRyuhei KokushoPublications ↗
- Project Assistant ProfessorNoriko Matsuda
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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: “Bombyx mori 4520” Amada44 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- How silkworm sex is determined: “CSIRO ScienceImage 10746 An adult silkworm moth” CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- How silkworm diapause is regulated: “Silkworm egg card in Japan” Ihimutefu / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- How silkworm food preference is determined: “Da Lat - Silkworms eating mulberry leaves” P. Hughes / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Improving genome editing technology in silkworms: “CRISPR-Cas9 Editing of the Genome ( )” National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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市 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (Plant Resource Genomics Lab): “Mahangu (pearl millet) field flourishing in the perfect climate in the rural north of Namibia” Shikoha Tautiko / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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