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Nozawa Lab
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A lab that uses cryo-electron microscopy to uncover how genomic DNA is folded.
AboutAbout the lab
Seeing how DNA folding determines cell fate.
The Nozawa Lab studies the folded structure of genomic DNA and the mechanisms that determine how genes function.
Eukaryotic genomic DNA is folded on a foundation of disc-shaped nucleosomes, and changes in this structure regulate mRNA synthesis.
Breakdown of this structure causes diseases such as cancer, lifestyle-related diseases, and psychiatric disorders.
Using techniques for "peering into the atomic world," such as X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, the lab investigates the causes of these diseases from three-dimensional structures.
Key terms
- Nucleosome
- A disc-shaped mass in which DNA is wrapped around proteins called histones. It is the basic unit for folding the genome.
- DNA loop
- A loop formed when two distant DNA regions come physically close together. It determines whether genes are turned on or off.
- Cryo-electron microscopy analysis
- A method in which a sample is observed with an electron beam while kept frozen, determining the three-dimensional structure of molecules at atomic resolution.
NewsLab news
Paper published in Genes to Cells; press release issued
Associate Professor Kayo Nozawa received the Young Scientists' Award of the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
An undergraduate student received an Outstanding Presentation Award for bachelor's thesis research
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to clarify, centered on "DNA loops" that determine whether genes are turned on or off, how gene expression is regulated in connection with genome structure and how diseases arise. Using X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, it examines the folded structure of DNA at atomic resolution.
*Illustrative imageTechniques for peering into the atomic world
The lab succeeded in determining the X-ray crystal structure of the 15-subunit transcriptional Mediator, which is essential for yeast growth. Through cryo-electron microscopy, it discovered the H3-H4 octasome, a new basic structural unit of chromatin.
*Illustrative imageObserving in a state closer to the inside of the cell
The lab is building new foundations for analysis, including a technique for purifying endogenous complexes directly on electron microscope observation grids and a technique for observing genome structure under conditions that mimic the nuclear environment.
MembersFaculty
The Nozawa Lab consists of faculty members, master's and undergraduate students, and technical support staff.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorKayo NozawaPublications ↗
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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: “Model of Nucleosome Array” Rkott / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Techniques for peering into the atomic world: “Platform for protein crystallography and X-ray scattering” Evgeny Pelevin / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Observing in a state closer to the inside of the cell: “Slice from electron cryotomogram of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus cell” Eikosi / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (山口研究室): “DAPI-stained nuclei of HeLa cells” DrBib / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (村上研究室): “Кристаллы белка DJ-1 HIS, выращенные в плашке методом висячей капли” Gorbacheva-marina26 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (刑部祐里子研究室): “Arabidopsis thaliana kz07” Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (朝倉研究室): “3Electrodes” Perepichka Group / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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