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Taguchi Lab
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A lab uncovering how proteins are made and take shape.
AboutAbout the lab
Opening up the unexplored world of proteins.
The Taguchi Lab studies the 'life of a protein': how proteins are born, take shape, and are broken down inside cells.
Proteins are chains of amino acids, and they function only after folding into a defined three-dimensional structure.
The lab investigates molecular chaperones, which assist folding, and the behavior of nascent chains that are still being synthesized on the ribosome.
Aggregates formed when folding fails, such as amyloids and prions, are also objects of study.
Key terms
- Folding
- The process by which a chain of amino acids folds into a defined three-dimensional structure so that it can function
- Molecular chaperone
- A protein that helps other proteins take shape but does not become part of the finished product itself
- Nascent chain
- A polypeptide chain that is still being synthesized on the ribosome and is not yet complete
NewsLab news
An undergraduate student received a Poster Award at the Annual Meeting of the Protein Science Society of Japan
Collaborative research reveals the mechanism that resolves ribosome jams
An undergraduate student received the top award at the Bachelor's Thesis Presentation
A graduate student received the Ohsumi Journal Award
Research results published in Nucleic Acids Research
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to understand, in molecular terms, the 'life of a protein' in the cell: from its birth and shaping to its aggregation and degradation. Built on a foundation of biochemistry, the research combines biophysics, genetics, and large-scale analysis, using Escherichia coli and budding yeast as model organisms.
*Illustrative imageMolecular chaperones
Molecular chaperones are proteins that prevent unstable proteins in the middle of folding from clumping together into aggregates. The lab studies not only their role in folding but also how they support the 'life of a protein' inside the cell.
*Illustrative imageThe chaperonin GroEL
GroEL in E. coli has a cage-like structure made of two stacked rings, each a heptamer. The lab studies how it forms a complex with GroES, which acts as a lid, and allows proteins to fold safely in its inner cavity.
*Illustrative imagePrions
A prion is a phenomenon in which an abnormal protein conformation propagates by converting normal proteins into the same abnormal form one after another. Using prions of budding yeast as a model, the lab has investigated how fibrils form and how they are transmitted within cells.
*Illustrative imageNascent chain biology
Polypeptide chains that are still being synthesized on the ribosome are called nascent chains. Using a reconstituted cell-free translation system from E. coli, the lab studies folding that proceeds together with translation, as well as the phenomenon of translational pausing.
MembersFaculty
The Taguchi Lab consists of faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, research support staff, administrative support staff, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorHideki TaguchiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorTatsuya NiwaPublications ↗
- Project LecturerYumiko OhhashiPublications ↗
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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: “Ribbon diagram representation of the folding of the protein barnase” Christopher Rowley / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Molecular chaperones: “Heat shock protein 70” CAChamblee / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- The chaperonin GroEL: “Chaperonin 8WUX” Rkott / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Prions: “Prion Protein Fibrils ( )” NIAID / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Nascent chain biology: “P. urativorans 70S ribosome with Balon and RaiA” Helena-Bueno, K., Rybak, M.Y., Gagnon, M.G., Hill, C.H., Melnikov, S.V. / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (神谷研究室): “Fluorescence rainbow” Maxim Bilovitskiy / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (鈴木崇之研究室): “Visualization of the Drosophila blood brain barrier ( )” Gerit Linneweber / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (中村信大研究室): “Multicolor fluorescence image of a living PC-12 cell” 8x57is / 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)
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