Laboratory for Cell Dynamics Observation

We have been focusing on single-molecule imaging and nano-scale manipulation techniques and applying them to the study of biological molecular motors. One of our most important insights on these motors operate is that they do not filter Brownian noise, instead using this noise to perform robustly. These same techniques have afforded us new understanding on how information is passed intracellularly and how the brain maps a visual stimulus. These processes too exploit Brownian noise, a strategy we call "yuragi". Yuragi is exclusive to living organisms, enabling fewer constraints and less energy demands for their function. Currently, by collaborating with robotics engineers and information scientists, we are investigating ways to use yuragi in complex information networks like robots and the internet. By studying yuragi in biological systems and successfully applying yuragi to artificial systems should give us better understanding of how biological systems reduce their degree of freedom to respond efficiently to environmental changes.

Research Subjects

• Single-molecule imaging
• Molecular motor stochastic properties (yuragi)
• Replicating dynamic cytoskeletal properties
• Single ion-channel dynamics
• in Cell NMR

Publications

1. S. Nishikawa, I. Arimoto, K. Ikezaki, M. Sugawa, H. Ueno, T. Komori, A. H Iwane, T. Yanagida:
   "Switch between large hand-over-hand and small inchworm-like steps in myosin VI."
   Cell 142(6),879-88 (2010)
2. T. Fujii, A. H. Iwane, T. Yanagida, K. Namba:
   "Direct visualization of secondary structures of F-actin by electron cryomicroscopy."
   Nature 467(7316), 724-8 (2010)
3. Inomata K, Ohno A, Tochio H, Isogai S, Tenno T, Nakase I, Takeuchi T, Futaki S, Ito Y, Hiroaki H, Shirakawa M.:
   "High-resolution multi-dimensional NMR spectroscopy of proteins in human cells"
   Nature 458, 106-109 (2009)
4. M. Iwaki, A. H. Iwane, T. Shimokawa, R. Cooke, T. Yanagida:
   "Brownian search-and-catch mechanism for myosin-VI steps."
   Nature Chem. Biol., 5(6), 403-405 (2009)
5. Y. Komori, A. Iwane and T.Yanagida:
   "Myosin-V makes two Brownian 90o rotations per 36 nm step."
   Nature Str. Mol. Biol. 14(10):968-973 (2007)
6. J. Kozuka, H. Yokota, Y. Arai, Y. Ishii, T. Yanagida:
   "Dynamic polymorphism of single actin molecules in the actin filament"
   Nature Chem. Biology, 2, 83-86 (2006)
7. T. Murata, N. Matsui, S. Miyauchi, Y. Kakita, T. Yanagida:
   "Discrete stochastic process underlying perceptual rivalry."
   Neuroreport, 14, 1347-1352 (2003)
8. H. Tanaka, K. Homma, A. H. Iwane, E. Katayama, R. Ikebe, J. Saito, T. Yanagida and M. Ikebe:
   "The motor domain determines the large step of myosin-V."
   Nature 415, 192-195 (2002)
9. M. Ueda, Y. Sako, T. Tanaka, P. Devreotes and T. Yanagida:
   "Single molecule analysis of chemotactic signaling in Dictyostelium cells."
   Science 294, 864-867 (2001)
10. Y. Sako, S. Minoguchi and T. Yanagida:
    "Single-molecule imaging of EGFR signaling on the surface of living cells."
    Nature Cell Biology 2, 168-172 (2000)

Organization