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Cellular Apparatus Lab
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The lab investigates how cells divide in two and what it means when the number of genomes in a cell changes.
AboutAbout the lab
How does a cell divide in two?
The lab studies cell division and changes in the number of genomes a cell carries (ploidy).
Accurate cell division is essential for sustaining and passing on life, yet how a cell divides its contents equally and splits itself in two is still not understood.
When the control of division goes wrong, the number of chromosomes changes and the properties of the cell change dramatically, which can also cause serious diseases such as cancer.
Combining techniques for examining and manipulating cells, the lab aims to uncover, at the molecular level, the structure and workings of the "cellular apparatus" that supports division.
Key terms
- Ploidy
- The number of sets of the genome (the full set of genetic information) that a cell carries
- Diploid
- The state of having two genome sets, one inherited from each of the mother and the father. The basic state of cells in the human body
- Haploid
- The state of having only one genome set, so that every gene exists in a single copy
NewsLab news
Preprint released on a study of the principle by which regularity arises in unstable cell division after whole-genome doubling
A paper by a student who completed the doctoral program was published in Biology Open
A paper by a doctoral student was published in PNAS
A doctoral student's paper on optical control of zebrafish was published in Communications Biology
A study that created stable haploid cells was released on bioRxiv
ResearchResearch themes
Ploidy refers to the number of sets of the genome that a cell carries. Textbooks treat remaining diploid as normal, but in reality there are many cells whose ploidy has changed. The lab seeks to uncover the order hidden in these changes.
*Illustrative imageThe fate of cells after division errors
A breakdown in the control of division is fatal, but the paths taken by cells that have gone through such abnormalities are complex, and much remains unknown. Using a tool that can stop cell division with light, the lab investigates the long-term effects that temporary, localized abnormalities have on cell populations and on whole organisms.
*Illustrative imageAdaptation to different ploidies
Some cells keep proliferating stably even when their genome is doubled or halved. By comparing cells and organisms that share the same genetic background but differ only in ploidy, the lab explores how cells withstand such large changes.
*Illustrative imageNew properties arising from ploidy
In the course of development, adaptation, and evolution, cells show new properties as their ploidy changes. The lab comprehensively examines how intracellular structures, components, and regulation shift during the change, in order to get at the underlying mechanisms.
*Illustrative imageWhy are animals diploid?
Cells adapt well to changes in ploidy, but animals whose entire bodies are haploid or tetraploid mostly fail to develop. The lab explores why by comparing mice and zebrafish, which have low tolerance, with ants, which are exceptionally high in tolerance.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty, administrative assistants, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and visiting researchers.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorRyota Uehara
- Assistant ProfessorSumire Ishihara
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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: “Mitosis-fluorescent” US government / Public domain (cropped)
- The fate of cells after division errors: “Kinetochore” Afunguy / Public domain (cropped)
- Adaptation to different ploidies: “Karyotype color chromosomes white background” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- New properties arising from ploidy: “3D-SIM-4 Anaphase 3 color” Lothar Schermelleh / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Why are animals diploid?: “Brachydanio rerio” Marrabbio2 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Morphology and Function II Lab): “Arabidopsis thal kz1” Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Cell Culture Engineering Lab (Muroran Marine Station)): “CSIRO ScienceImage 905 Undaria pinnatifida Japanese kelp” division, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kuroiwa-Chikami-Yang Lab): “Chicken embryo” Mjeltsch / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Naramoto Lab): “Arabidopsis thaliana kz07” Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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