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Molecular Biology Lab
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The lab investigates at the molecular level how the fates of neural stem cells, which build the brain, are determined.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding at the molecular level how cell fate is determined
The lab studies at the molecular level how cell fate is determined, focusing on the process by which the brain is formed.
Neural stem cells in the brain proliferate while generating many types of neurons and glial cells, and these cells assemble the brain as a tissue.
Focusing on the regulation of gene expression by the epigenome and by chromatin inside the nucleus, the lab investigates the mechanisms that control the fates of neural stem cells and neurons.
The lab is also working to understand how abnormalities in brain development lead to conditions such as psychiatric disorders.
Key terms
- Neural stem cells
- Cells that proliferate and serve as the source of brain cells such as neurons and glial cells
- Epigenome
- The full set of chemical marks attached to DNA and histones, which influence which genes are used
- Chromatin
- DNA wrapped around proteins such as histones and packaged inside the nucleus
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Best Oral Presentation Award and the Best Poster Award at the 19th Neural Development Discussion Meeting
Prof. Gotoh received the Imperial Prize and the Japan Academy Prize
A master's student received a Poster Award at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan
A student received an Excellent Presentation Award (Poster) at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Neurochemistry
A research group including Hokkaido University discovered that inversion of the membrane topology of GGCX leads to modification of cytoplasmic proteins (Science)
ResearchResearch themes
Living organisms are built as tissue stem cells proliferate and give rise to many different types of cells. Using the mammalian brain as a model, the lab aims to uncover the principles of neural stem cell fate regulation and brain construction.
*Illustrative imageRegulation of neural stem cell fate
The lab investigates how neural stem cells switch between proliferation and differentiation, and how they place the right number of neurons and glial cells in the right locations. It also studies the mechanisms by which neural stem cells are maintained for a long time in the adult brain and continue to generate new neurons.
*Illustrative imageFate regulation viewed through chromatin
The lab is clarifying the large-scale chromatin-level changes that occur when neural stem cells differentiate into neurons, and the mechanisms behind them. By studying chromatin changes caused by neural activity, it also aims to understand the plasticity of neural circuits.
*Illustrative imageAbnormal brain development and psychiatric disorders
Abnormalities in brain development lead to a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, and it has been reported that genetic factors and environmental factors such as stress affect brain development and behavior. Alongside the principles of normal brain development, the lab is working to understand how disease arises when development goes wrong.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty, project researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, secretaries, technical assistants, and project specialists.As of 2026
- ProfessorYukiko GotohPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorDaichi KawaguchiPublications ↗
- Project Associate ProfessorOishi KojiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorTakaaki Kuniya
- Project Assistant ProfessorHiroki SugishitaPublications ↗
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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: “Neural Stem Cells” Welcome Collection / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Regulation of neural stem cell fate: “WikiVZSVZ” Neuron Doc / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Fate regulation viewed through chromatin: “Chromatin (NIH BioArt )” Courtesy of NIAID Ryan Kissinger / Public domain (cropped)
- Abnormal brain development and psychiatric disorders: “Embryonic Development CNS” Source: Goodlett, C.R., and Horn, K.H. Mechanisms of alcohol–induced damage to the developing nervous system. Alcohol Research & Health 25(3):175–184, 2001. / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Protein Metabolism Lab): “Proteasome (NIH BioArt )” Courtesy of NIAID Ryan Kissinger / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Genetics Lab): “Drosophila melanogaster under microscope” Talita Oliveira / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kawaguchi Lab): “Normalized Linkage Heat Map” CP2000A / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Cellular Senescence Biology Lab (Takahashi Lab)): “SABG MEFs” Y tambe / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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