Our primary goal is to better understand how biological molecules behave in space and time.
Atsushi Miyawaki, M.D., Ph.D.
Team Leader, Cell Function Dynamics
miyawaki-lab.ast[at]ml.riken.jp
Research Overview
"Why bio-imaging, i.e. real time fluorescence imaging?" Currently, this is a topic of great interest in the bioscience community. Many molecules involved in signal transduction have been identified, and the hierarchy among those molecules has also been elucidated. It is not uncommon to see a signal transduction diagram in which arrows are used to link molecules to show enzyme reactions and intermolecular interactions. To obtain a further understanding of a signal transduction system, however, the diagram must contain the three axes in space as well as a fourth dimension, time, because all events are controlled ingeniously in space and time. Since the isolation of green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the bioluminescent jellyfish in 1992 and later with its relatives, researchers have been awaiting the development of a tool, which enables the direct visualization of biological functions. This has been increasingly enhanced by the marriage of GFP with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) or fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS), and is further expanded upon by the need for "post-genomic analyses." It is not my intent to discourage the trend seeking the visualization of biological function. I would like to propose that it is time to evaluate the true asset of "bio-imaging" for its potential and limitations in order to utilize and truly benefit from this novel technique.
Keywords
- Bioimaging
- Fluorescent protein
- chromophore
Selected Publications
- Watanabe T, Seki T, Fukano T, Sakaue-Sawano A, Karasawa S, Kubota M, Kurokawa H, Inoue K, Akatsuka J, Miyawaki A.:
"Genetic visualization of protein interactions harnessing liquid phase transitions."
Sci. Rep., 7: 46380. doi: 10.1038/srep46380 (2017).
10.1038/srep46380 - Miyawaki A.:
"Exploiting the cyanobacterial light-harvesting machinery for developing fluorescent probes."
Nat. Methods, 13 (9): 729-730 (2016).
10.1038/nmeth.3983 - Hama H, Hioki H, Namiki K, Hoshida T, Kurokawa H, Ishidate F, Kaneko T, Akagi T, Saito T, Saido T, Miyawaki A.:
"Deep Imaging of Cleared Brain by Confocal Laser-Scanning Microscopy."
Protocol Exchange, doi:10.1038/protex.2016.019 (2016).
10.1038/protex.2016.019 - Hama H, Hioki H, Namiki K, Hoshida T, Kurokawa H, Ishidate F, Kaneko T, Akagi T, Saito T, Saido T, Miyawaki A.:
"ScaleS: an optical clearing palette for biological imaging."
Nat. Neurosci., 18 (10): 1518-1529 (2015).
10.1038/nn.4107 - Miyawaki A, Jaffrey SR.:
"Editorial overview: Molecular imaging: Cellular imaging approaches."
Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol., 27: v-vi (2015).
10.1016/j.cbpa.2015.07.004 - Miyawaki A, Niino Y.:
"Molecular spies for bioimaging - Fluorescent protein-based probes."
Mol. Cell, 48 (4): 632–643 (2015).
10.1016/j.molcel.2015.03.002 - Tsutsui H, Jinno Y, Shoda K,Tomita A, Matsuda M,Yamashita E, Katayama H, Nakagawa A, Miyawaki A.:
"A Diffraction-Quality Protein Crystal Processed as an Autophagic Cargo."
Mol. Cell, 58 (1), 186-193 (2015).
10.1016/j.molcel.2015.02.007 - Sakaue-Sawano A, Hoshida T, Yo M, Takahashi R, Ohtawa K, Arai T, Takahashi E, Noda S, Miyoshi H, Miyawaki A.:
"Visualizing developmentally programmed endoreplication in mammals using ubiquitin oscillators."
Development, 140 (22), 4624-4632 (2013).
10.1242/dev.099226 - Kumagai A, Ando R, Miyatake H, Greimel P, Kobayashi T, Hirabayashi Y, Shimogori T, Miyawaki A.:
"A Bilirubin-Inducible Fluorescent Protein from Eel Muscle."
Cell, 153 (7): 1602-1611 (2013).
10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.038 - Shimozono S, Iimura T, Kitaguchi T, Higashijima SI, Miyawaki A.:
"Visualization of an endogenous retinoic acid gradient across embryonic development."
Nature, 496 (7445): 363-366 (2013).
10.1038/nature12037
News & Media
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Real x-ray vision: see-through brains ready for study
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Cells target giant protein crystals for degradation
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Cells target giant protein crystals for degradation
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Retinoic Acid Gradient Visualized for the First Time in an Embryo
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New chemical reagent turns mouse brain transparent
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Effects of anti-cancer drugs reassessed using fluorescence imaging technology
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Embryogenesis propagation and differentiation patterns of live fish exposed to full view
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Differential silhouetting of the cell cycle specific to either S/G2/M a new visualizing technology of the cellular proliferation process
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Elucidating the molecular mechanism of photochromism of a fluorescent protein 'Drompa' with NMR analysis of its dark-structure, instead of X-ray structural analysis
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Color-coded mouse genes reveal hidden story on cell cycle powerful new tool enables a pictorial roadmap of cell transitions from their earliest stage to functional maturity.
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Color and light to illuminate biochemical pathways
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Discovery of a new fluorescent protein that changes from green to red with ultraviolet light: Development of a reliable basic research tool that can mark cells with light.
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Discovery of the information transmitting mechanism in cells triggered by local stimulation.
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Development of new fluorescent protein that enables the detailed study of live cells: Unknown phenomena inside cells are now visible.
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Lab Members
Principal investigator
- Atsushi Miyawaki
- Laboratory Head
Core members
- Peter Greimel
- Senior Research Scientist
- Ryoko Ando
- Research Scientist
- Asako Sakaue
- Research Scientist
- Takashi Fukano
- Research Scientist
- Hiroyuki Kawano
- Research Scientist
- Masahiko Hirano
- Research Scientist
- Satoshi Shimozono
- Research Scientist
- Hiroyuki Katayama
- Research Scientist
- Takayuki Michikawa
- Research Scientist
- Mayu Sugiyama
- Research Scientist
- Hiroshi Kurokawa
- Research Scientist
- Yusuke Niino
- Research Scientist
- Kana Namiki
- Research Scientist
- Naoki Komatsu
- Research Scientist
- Satoshi Iwano
- Special Postdoctoral Researcher
- Hiroshi Hama
- Research Specialist
- Keiko Shoda
- Technical Staff I
- Takako Kogure
- Technical Staff I
- Rie Ito
- Technical Staff I
- Tetsushi Hoshida
- Technical Staff I
- Asako Tosaki
- Technical Staff Ⅱ
- Misaki Kubota
- Technical Staff II