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Molecular Biology and Bioresponse Lab
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The lab clarifies how trace amounts of metals such as zinc support life.
AboutAbout the lab
Biology of mineral metabolism, centered on zinc.
The lab studies, at the molecular, cellular, and whole-organism levels, how metal elements such as copper, iron, and manganese, with zinc at the center, are selected, used, and kept constant in the body.
Zinc is an important element involved in immune and nervous system function, taste, and wound healing, and the lab's research looks from basic science through to applications in nutrition and health.
In graduate school, the lab belongs to the Graduate School of Biostudies. It also takes charge of education in the Faculty of Agriculture.
Undergraduates are assigned to the lab in their fourth year in the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, and from graduate school onward they belong to the Graduate School of Biostudies.
Key terms
- Essential trace minerals
- Elements, such as metals, that are needed in very small amounts for the body to function. Examples include zinc, iron, and copper
- Zinc transporter
- A protein in the cell membrane that carries zinc into and out of cells
- Metallothionein
- A protein that binds metals such as zinc. It also protects the body from oxidative damage
NewsLab news
A master's student won the Excellent Presentation Award at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Micronutrient Studies
Paper showing that zinc and metallothionein protect cells from ferroptosis accepted by Free Radical Biology and Medicine
A doctoral student won the Young Investigator Excellent Presentation Award at the 98th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Biochemical Society
A doctoral student won the Young Investigator Excellent Presentation Award at the 36th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Trace Element Research
ResearchResearch themes
The essential trace minerals zinc, copper, iron, and manganese are harmful to the body when deficient or in excess, so they are precisely regulated. Centered on zinc, the lab studies how metal elements are selected, used, and controlled.
*Illustrative imageZinc balance inside cells
Inside cells, many zinc proteins, including zinc transporters and metallothionein, work in coordination. The lab clarifies the functions of zinc proteins involved in metabolism, aiming for a comprehensive picture of zinc biology.
*Illustrative imageSupporting health through zinc nutrition
About 30% of people in Japan are considered zinc-deficient, and zinc absorption efficiency in the digestive tract is low, at about 30%. The lab clarifies how zinc is absorbed in the digestive tract and searches for food factors that enhance absorption, aiming to maintain and promote health.
*Illustrative imageMetabolism of iron, copper, and manganese
The lab applies methods established in its zinc analyses to the analysis of iron, copper, and manganese. Because these are elements involved in redox reactions, the lab focuses on their characteristics to clarify the overall picture of their metabolic mechanisms.
*Illustrative imageInteractions between metals and the protective role of zinc
Zinc is thought to protect the body, through metallothionein, from damage caused by iron, copper, and other metals. The lab analyzes the regulatory network among metal elements and studies this role.
MembersFaculty
The members of the lab consist of faculty, academic support staff, and students in the doctoral program, master's program, and undergraduate program.As of 2026
- ProfessorTaiho Kambe
- Assistant ProfessorSatoko Kawarazaki
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: “Zinc foils” Mauro Cateb / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Zinc balance inside cells: “2OSV with zinc site” Opabinia regalis / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Supporting health through zinc nutrition: “ARS - Foods high in zinc” Keith Weller, USDA ARS / Public domain (cropped)
- Metabolism of iron, copper, and manganese: “Iron oxide-manganese oxide-siliceous hydrothermal vein rock (talus from the Emma Vein, 62-66 Ma; Butte, Montana, USA) 4” James St. John / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Interactions between metals and the protective role of zinc: “Metallothionein 1jjd” Thomas Shafee / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Food Physiology and Function Lab): “Food-healthy-vegetables-potatoes ( )” www.Pixel.la Free Stock Photos / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Bioorganic Chemistry Lab): “Chemical Compound ( )” National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences from Bethesda, MD / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Enzyme Chemistry Lab): “Crystal Structure of the FokI endonuclease - PDB-2FOK” Marcello002 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Nutritional Chemistry Lab): “Japanese set meal with tonkatsu” Betsylavolette / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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