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Biochemistry Lab
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A biochemistry lab exploring adaptation to hibernation and cold through adipose tissue.
AboutAbout the lab
Molecular insights into animal adaptation to the environment and survival strategies
The Biochemistry Lab studies how animals adapt to harsh environments such as cold and food scarcity.
The lab investigates how the body's metabolism changes during hibernation and similar states, focusing in particular on the role of adipose tissue.
Its goal is to understand the mechanisms of feeding behavior, body temperature maintenance, and energy metabolism.
It aims to apply animals' ingenious survival strategies to the prevention and improvement of obesity, diabetes, and related conditions.
Key terms
- Brown adipose tissue
- A specialized adipose tissue that burns fat to produce heat. It helps maintain body temperature in cold environments.
- White adipose tissue
- The fat commonly called body fat or visceral fat. It stores energy as triglycerides.
- Beige adipocytes
- Heat-producing fat cells that appear within white adipose tissue in response to cold and other stimuli.
NewsLab news
A paper examining the development of adipose tissue in the suckling period in mice and the role of vitamin A has been accepted for publication in FEBS Journal
A doctoral student received the Best Poster Presentation Award at the Joint Meeting of Veterinary Science in East Asia
A paper showing that serum from hibernating bears suppresses mitochondrial respiration has been accepted for publication in BBRC
Assistant Professor Kato received the Excellent Presentation Award at the regular meeting of the Hokkaido Branch of the Japanese Biochemical Society
ResearchResearch themes
The lab investigates how animals change their metabolism when adapting to cold or food shortage, focusing on the role of adipose tissue. It aims to apply animal survival strategies to the prevention and improvement of metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes.
*Illustrative imageHibernation and adipose tissue
Brown adipose tissue raises body temperature when an animal awakens from hibernation, and white adipose tissue serves as an energy source during hibernation. The lab investigates how adipose tissue is remodeled during hibernation and how this relates to hibernation itself.
*Illustrative imageBrown fat and the regulation of body fat
The more heat brown adipose tissue produces, the more white adipose tissue (body fat) decreases. The lab aims to find ways to activate and increase brown fat, and to develop obesity countermeasures and prevention methods that target brown fat.
*Illustrative imageAdaptation to cold and remodeling of adipose tissue
With prolonged exposure to cold, brown adipose tissue enlarges and beige adipocytes appear within white adipose tissue. The lab investigates the mechanisms by which this remodeling of adipose tissue occurs.
*Illustrative imageBrown adipose tissue in various animals
Brown adipose tissue is important for newborn animals and hibernating animals to maintain body temperature. The lab focuses in particular on the Syrian hamster, which has no brown adipose tissue at birth and whose white adipose tissue changes into brown adipose tissue by weaning.
MembersFaculty
Members of the Biochemistry Lab consist of faculty, research fellows, administrative staff, and doctoral and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorYuko Okamatsu
- Assistant ProfessorMira Kato
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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: “Streifenhoernchen” AndiW 10:51:45, (UTC) / Public domain (cropped)
- Hibernation and adipose tissue: “Glis glis (edible dormouse) in winter sleep” Krzysztof Dreszer / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Brown fat and the regulation of body fat: “Brown fat cell” https://www.scientificanimations.com/ / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Adaptation to cold and remodeling of adipose tissue: “Mouse in snow” Alex Kard / CC0 (cropped)
- Brown adipose tissue in various animals: “Mesocricetus auratus -pet hamster-8a” Dennis Blöte / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
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（Kyoichi Narukami） / CC BY 3.0 (cropped) - Related lab (獣医衛生学教室): “Sheep and goats in Arkhangai Province” Bernard Gagnon / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (薬理学教室): “Human astrocyte” Bruno Pascal / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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