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Integrative Physiology Lab
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A physiology lab that studies proteins responsible for electrical signaling, from molecules to whole organisms.
AboutAbout the lab
Studying proteins that carry electrical signals, from molecules to whole organisms
The Integrative Physiology Lab studies ion channels, the proteins responsible for electrical signals in living organisms, from their microscopic structure and function to their physiological roles in the whole organism.
The lab takes approaches including molecular biology, knockout mice, electrophysiology, imaging, and structural biology.
The lab discovered two proteins with voltage sensors, VSP and VSOP/Hv1, and is investigating how they work and what roles they play in the body.
Key terms
- Ion channel
- A protein in the cell membrane that forms a passage for ions. It is responsible for electrical signals in living organisms.
- Voltage sensor
- The part of a protein that senses the potential difference across the cell membrane. Its structure changes depending on the potential difference.
- VSP
- A protein in which a voltage sensor is linked to an enzyme. It converts electrical signals into chemical signals.
NewsLab news
Paper by an Assistant Professor published in PNAS
Paper's findings featured on Osaka University's ReSOU site
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies the structure and function of proteins responsible for electrical signals in living organisms, aiming to clarify their roles in the body. Its research is wide-ranging, from the operating principle of voltage sensors, to roles in blood cells, to developing tools for visualizing membrane potential.
*Illustrative imageOperating principle of voltage sensors
The lab studies how VSP, in which a voltage sensor is linked to an enzyme, and VSOP/Hv1, which consists of a voltage sensor alone, work. In VSP, the enzyme is activated in response to changes in membrane potential, converting an electrical signal into a chemical signal.
*Illustrative imageMolecular mechanism and structure of VSP
The enzyme portion of VSP is structurally similar to PTEN, which is involved in cancer and metabolic disorders. The lab examines how the voltage sensor and the enzyme are coupled, exploring the mechanism by which membrane potential changes enzyme activity.
*Illustrative imageProton channels in blood cells
VSOP/Hv1 is found in phagocytic blood cells such as macrophages and neutrophils. Analyses using knockout mice (partly in collaboration with the University of Geneva) showed that it regulates cytoplasmic pH and membrane potential through proton transport, and thereby supports the production of reactive oxygen species.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping tools to visualize membrane potential
Probes that make membrane potential visible have been created by attaching fluorescent proteins to the voltage sensor of VSP. A probe developed in collaboration with the National Institute for Physiological Sciences by a former lab member, while that researcher was in a group at RIKEN, succeeded in imaging the electrical activity of neurons and cardiomyocytes in cultured cells.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members are faculty, Project Assistant Professors, project researchers (postdocs), technical assistants, secretaries, students, and Visiting Professors.As of 2024
- Associate ProfessorYoshifumi Okochi
- Assistant ProfessorTomomi Miyoshi
- Assistant ProfessorDaisuke Yoshioka
- Project Assistant ProfessorAdisorn Ratanayotha
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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: “Two-pore domain potassium channel K2P3 PDB-6rv3” Deposition authors: Rodstrom, K.E.J., Pike, A.C.W., Zhang, W., Quigley, A., Speedman, D., Mukhopadhyay, S.M.M., Shrestha, L., Chalk, R., Venkaya, S., Bushell, S.R., Tessitore, A., Burgess-Brown, N., Arrowsmith, C.H., Edwards, A.M., Bountra, C., Carpenter, E.P., Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC); Visualization author: Synpath / CC0 (cropped)
- Operating principle of voltage sensors: “Ion channel” Original uploader was Outslider (Paweł Tokarz) at pl.wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Molecular mechanism and structure of VSP: “Structure of Map Kinase Phosphatase Pyst-1” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Proton channels in blood cells: “Giemsa Stain Macrophage Illustration” Noah Smith / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Developing tools to visualize membrane potential: “Tsien lab fluorescent proteins” Erik Rodriguez / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (免疫細胞生物学): “2-Photon Excitation” ManuelSchottdorf / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (細胞生物学): “Scientists use a low temperature scanning electron microscope (LT-SEM) to view anatomical structures needed to identify nematodes like the Parasitorhabditis - USDA-ARS” U.S. Department of Agriculture / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (環境応答薬理学): “Microscopy in bloom” Saraifveiga / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (消化器内科学): “Abdominal pain” Robystarm07 / CC0 (cropped)
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