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Nakada-Ishikawa Lab
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The lab explores how mitochondrial mutations are linked to aging and disease.
AboutAbout the lab
Research on the biology of mitochondria.
The Nakada-Ishikawa Lab studies mitochondria, the organelles that produce energy in cells, focusing on their function and their links to disease and aging.
When mutations accumulate in mitochondrial DNA, symptoms collectively called mitochondrial diseases appear, but how these diseases develop is not well understood.
The lab is working to clarify the process of disease onset using tools such as mitochondrial disease model mice created by enriching naturally occurring mutations.
Lab visits can be arranged at any time by contacting Professor Nakada by email beforehand.
Key terms
- Mitochondrial DNA
- DNA that mitochondria carry of their own, separate from the DNA in the cell nucleus. It carries genes for ATP synthesis
- Mitochondrial disease
- A collective term for the diverse symptoms that appear in various parts of the body when mutations in mitochondrial DNA impair energy production
- ATP
- The energy molecule of living organisms, used for movement, thinking, heartbeat, and more. Mitochondria produce it from the nutrients in food
- Mutator mice
- Mice in which the proofreading function of the replication enzyme PolG has been disrupted, so that mutations accumulate in mitochondrial DNA
NewsLab news
A study by doctoral students and others was published in Aging Cell, with a press release
A paper by Professor Nakada and colleagues was published in Aging Cell
A paper by Professor Nakada and colleagues was published in Mitochondrion
A paper by Professor Nakada and colleagues was published in Pharmacological Research
Associate Professor Kaori Ishikawa co-authored the book Otona no Tame no Seibutsugaku no Kyokasho (A Biology Textbook for Adults)
ResearchResearch themes
Mitochondria are the energy factories of the cell, converting nutrients from food into the energy molecule ATP. However, many mysteries remain about their function and about the effects of mitochondrial DNA mutations, and the lab investigates their links to mitochondrial disease and aging.
*Illustrative imageMitochondrial Disease Model Mice
Genome editing does not work on mitochondrial DNA. The lab established the mutant model mouse "Mito-mouse" by enriching trace amounts of naturally occurring mutations found in cultured mouse cells, and uses it to study the process of disease onset.
*Illustrative imageMitochondrial Dynamics
Mitochondria form networks within cells and move by repeatedly fusing and dividing. The lab evaluates how abnormalities in these dynamics affect mitochondrial function and the function of the organism.
*Illustrative imageMitochondria and Aging
The accumulation of mutations in mitochondrial DNA is said to be one cause of aging. The lab wants to analyze the less-studied genotypes of the Mutator mice, which were reported as an aging model, and test the causal relationship between mutations and aging.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Nakada-Ishikawa Lab are faculty, doctoral and master's students, and undergraduates working on their graduation research.As of 2025
- ProfessorKazuto Nakada
- Associate ProfessorKaori Ishikawa
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “Leica DM2500 with fluorescence filter cubes” Dietzel65 / CC0 (cropped)
- Mitochondrial Disease Model Mice: “Mitochondrial DNA lg” National Human Genome Research Institute / Public domain (cropped)
- Mitochondrial Dynamics: “Clara cell lung - TEM” Louisa Howard / Public domain (cropped)
- Mitochondria and Aging: “Eppendorf Mastercycler Pro S” GFJ / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Organelle Cell Biology Lab): “Fluorescence Microscopy of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Following Auramine O Staining. 03” Siduduziwe Nxumalo / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular Genetics Lab): “Yeast cultures in incubator-1” Masur / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Newt Retina Regeneration Lab): “Cynops pyrrhogaster (under)” Alpsdake / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Photosynthetic Metabolism Regulation Lab): “Red Algae Haematococcus pluvialis 1000X” Rendodge / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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