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Tomita (Kozo) Lab (RNA Biology)
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The lab investigates how RNAs that are not translated into proteins function, by examining the structures and reactions of enzymes.
AboutAbout the lab
How RNA works, seen through molecular structure
The Tomita (Kozo) Lab studies how functional RNAs that act inside cells are regulated.
Cells contain many non-coding RNAs, which are not translated into proteins and are involved in processes such as cell differentiation and the development of cancer.
The lab focuses on the enzymes and proteins that produce these RNAs and regulate their functions.
In addition to molecular biology and biochemistry, the lab examines molecular structures using X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy to clarify the mechanisms of the reactions.
Key terms
- Non-coding RNA
- RNA that does not serve as a blueprint for proteins and instead functions as RNA, for example by regulating gene activity
- X-ray crystallography
- A method that determines the arrangement of atoms (the three-dimensional structure) of a molecule by crystallizing it, exposing it to X-rays, and analyzing how the X-rays are scattered
- Cryo-electron microscopy
- A method and instrument that rapidly freezes a sample and observes it with an electron microscope to determine the three-dimensional structures of proteins and other molecules
NewsLab news
A doctoral student received an Excellence Award at the Annual Meeting of the RNA Society of Japan
Recruiting graduate students for admission in October 2026 and April 2027
Published in Nucleic Acids Research: a mechanism that regulates how tumor-suppressive microRNAs are produced
Published in Nature Communications: the mechanism of m6A modification of U6 snRNA
A doctoral student received the Annual Meeting Chair's Special Award at the Annual Meeting of the RNA Society of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies, at the molecular level, how the expression and function of functional RNAs that act inside cells, especially non-coding RNAs, are regulated. It clarifies the reaction and regulatory mechanisms of the enzymes and proteins that produce and regulate RNAs, from both structural and functional perspectives.
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MembersFaculty
The members of the Tomita (Kozo) Lab consist of faculty members, doctoral and master's students, research students, and administrative assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorTomita KozoPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorYuka Yashiro
- Project Assistant ProfessorJue Ju
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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: “TRNA-Phe yeast 1ehz” Yikrazuul / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Mechanisms of enzymes that produce and regulate RNA: “Macromolecular-Crystallography-beamline” Macromolecular crystallography group at SSRL / Public domain (cropped)
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