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RNA Biology Lab
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A lab that explores the functions of RNAs that do not make proteins, using mice and medaka.
AboutAbout the lab
Taking on the mystery of genes with unknown functions
The RNA Biology Lab studies genes in the genome whose functions are still unknown.
Its central focus is long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which do not make proteins, especially those that accumulate abundantly in the cell nucleus.
The lab creates mice and medaka in which a gene has been knocked out and examines what changes appear in their bodies and behavior.
It also conducts research that uses chemical compounds to probe splicing, the process that cuts and joins RNA, and studies social behavior in medaka.
Key terms
- lncRNA
- An RNA longer than 200 nucleotides that does not serve as a blueprint for proteins. The functions of most of them are still unknown.
- Splicing
- The mechanism by which unnecessary parts (introns) are removed from RNA transcribed from a gene and the remaining parts are joined together.
- Knockout mouse
- A mouse in which a specific gene has been made nonfunctional. It is used to study what that gene does in the body.
NewsLab news
PhD student wins the Aoba Award (Best Presentation Award) at the 27th Annual Meeting of the RNA Society of Japan
Research results by Assistant Professor Yokoi published in Scientific Reports
Master's student wins Poster Excellence Award at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan
Assistant Professor Yokoi wins the Zoological Society of Japan Encouragement Award
Master's student wins Poster Presentation Award at the 31st Small Fish Research Meeting
ResearchResearch themes
The genomes of humans and other organisms contain many genes whose functions cannot be predicted from their sequences. The lab creates mutants of such genes and examines their phenotypes, aiming to uncover new functional molecules and mechanisms and to connect them to drug discovery research.
*Illustrative imageFunctions of lncRNAs that accumulate in the nucleus
The lab creates knockout mice lacking lncRNAs that accumulate abundantly in the cell nucleus, such as Neat1, Gomafu, and Malat1, and studies their functions. None of them is essential for survival, but they have been found to play important roles under specific conditions or environments.
*Illustrative imageProbing splicing with chemical compounds
Using compounds that change the amount of snRNPs, the components of the complex responsible for splicing, the lab examines how splicing changes. It is also exploring applications to splicing abnormalities that cause disease.
*Illustrative imageMechanisms of social behavior in medaka
Using medaka, which, like humans, recognize each other by looking at faces, the lab studies the genes and neural mechanisms that underlie social behavior. Recently, it has been focusing on lncRNAs that function in the brain and on genes of unknown function.
MembersFaculty
The members of the RNA Biology Lab include faculty, PhD, master's, and undergraduate students, administrative assistants, and technical assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorShinichi Nakagawa
- Associate ProfessorHiroshi Maita
- Assistant ProfessorSaori Yokoi
- Assistant ProfessorMisuzu Kurihara
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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: “FISH 13 21” Gregor1976 / Public domain (cropped)
- Functions of lncRNAs that accumulate in the nucleus: “RNA Secondary Structure-Hairpin Loop” Natalia Quiñones Olvera / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Probing splicing with chemical compounds: “SnRNP's splicing J” Tosaka / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Mechanisms of social behavior in medaka: “Oryzias latipes(Hamamatsu,Shizuoka,Japan,2007)-2” Seotaro / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Natural Products Chemistry Lab): “Esponja (Theonella swinhoei), Anilao, Filipinas, , DD 67” Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Genome Medical Biology Lab): “Condensation1” Ascendinglotus2 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Bioanalytical Chemistry Lab): “Molecubes SPECT uCT and PET” Adville / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Biochemistry Lab): “Normal Epidermis and Dermis with Intradermal Nevus 10x” Kilbad / Public domain (cropped)
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