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Biological Structural Chemistry Lab
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The lab seeks to understand how life works at atomic resolution.
AboutAbout the lab
Seeing how cells work at atomic resolution.
The Biological Structural Chemistry Lab conducts research aimed at "understanding the higher-order biological functions of eukaryotic cells at atomic resolution."
The lab clarifies, one by one, the structural basis of complex formation and reactions among biomolecules that are important for cell function. By learning the mechanisms that govern the behavior of cells and whole organisms, it aims to manipulate them and help improve disease conditions.
The lab combines three-dimensional structure determination methods such as X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy with functional analysis using protein mutants designed on the basis of those structures.
Key terms
- X-ray crystallography
- A method that shines X-rays on a crystal to determine the arrangement of atoms within a molecule
- Cryo-electron microscopy
- A method that rapidly freezes a sample and observes it with an electron microscope to determine the three-dimensional structure of a molecule
- Synapse
- The junction where neurons exchange signals with each other
- Ubiquitin
- A small protein that attaches to other proteins and serves as a signal, for example for degradation
ResearchResearch themes
The lab seeks to understand how biological macromolecules operate at atomic resolution, connecting a chemical understanding of protein function to a medical and biological understanding.
*Illustrative imageStructural Neuroscience
Through structural and functional analysis of membrane receptor complexes that induce synapse formation in the central nervous system (synaptic organizers) and of the signaling complexes downstream of them, the lab clarifies the molecular mechanisms that induce synapse formation at atomic resolution.
*Illustrative imageUbiquitin Signaling
Through structural and functional analysis, the lab clarifies how ubiquitin chains also act as signals other than for proteasomal degradation, focusing on the DNA damage response, inflammatory signaling, and mitochondrial quality control.
*Illustrative imageUltra-High-Resolution Analysis
To understand energy conversion and electron transfer in living organisms precisely, it is necessary to capture subtle changes in electronic states through ultra-high-resolution analysis beyond 1 Å. The lab develops methods for sample preparation, crystallization, measurement, and analysis for this purpose.
MembersFaculty
The Biological Structural Chemistry Lab consists of faculty, administrative assistants, technical assistants, doctoral and master's students, and undergraduates.As of 2026
- ProfessorShuya Fukai
- Associate ProfessorKazuki Takeda
- Assistant ProfessorKei Okatsu
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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: “Glycine and glutamate bound Human GluN1a-GluN2D NMDA receptor - Glutamate receptor ionotropic, NMDA 1 - 8E96” Chou, T.-H., Furukawa, H. / CC0 (cropped)
- Structural Neuroscience: “Electron micrographs of synapses between bipolar cell dendrites and cone pedicles (CP)” Tsukamoto Y and Omi N / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Ubiquitin Signaling: “Ubiquitin-activating enzyme bound to Ubiquitin” Khopkins2010 / Public domain (cropped)
- Ultra-High-Resolution Analysis: “Platform for protein crystallography and X-ray scattering” Evgeny Pelevin / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tochio Lab (Structural Physiology Subdivision, Department of Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University)): “Protein HMOX2 PDB 2q32” Emw / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Quantum Chemistry Lab): “Amniote rhodopsin 3D structures” Constanze Bickelmann / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kyoto University Institute for Chemical Research, Biomolecular Information Lab): “Arabidopsis halleri flower (01)” Andrea Moro / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Photophysical Chemistry Lab): “Innerworkings of a thylakoid” OpenStax College, Biology / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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