Biotechnological Optics Research Team

We label a fluorescent probe on a specific region of a biological molecule and bring it back into a cell. We can then visualize how the biological molecule behaves in response to external stimulation. Since fluorescence is a physical phenomenon, we can extract various kinds of information by making full use of its characteristics. For example, the excited energy of a fluorescent molecule donor transfers to an acceptor relative to the distance and orientation between the two fluorophores. This phenomenon can be used to identify interaction between biological molecules or structural change in biological molecules. Besides, we can apply all other characteristics of fluorescence, such as polarization, quenching, photobleaching, photoconversion, and photochromism, in experimentation. Cruising inside cells in a super-micro corps, gliding down in a microtubule like a roller coaster, pushing our ways through a jungle of chromatin while hoisting a flag of nuclear localization signal --- we are reminded to retain a playful and adventurous perspective at all times. What matters is mobilizing all capabilities of science and giving full play to our imagination.

Research Fields

Engineering / Chemistry / Materials Sciences / Biology & Biochemistry / Molecular Biology & Genetics / Pharmacology & Toxicology / Neuroscience & Behavior / Mathematics / Multidisciplinary

Research Subjects

• Structure-function relationships of the chromophores of fluorescent proteins
• Interplay between ambient light and organisms

Publications

1. A. Miyawaki., D.M. Shcherbakova., V.V. Verkhusha., Red fluorescent proteins: chromophore formation and cellular applications. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol., 2012, 22, 679-688.
2. A. Miyawaki., Proteins on the move: insights gained from fluorescent protein technologies. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol., 2011, 12 , 656-668.
3. H. Hama., H. Kurokawa., H. Kawano., R. Ando., T. Shimogori., H. Noda., K. Fukami., A. Sakaue-Sawano., A. Miyawaki., Scale: a chemical approach for fluorescence imaging and reconstruction of transparent mouse brain, Nature Neuroscience, 2011, 14, 1481-1488.
4. H. Katayama., T. Kogure., N. Mizushima., T. Yoshimori., A. Miyawaki., A Sensitive and Quantitative Technique for Detecting Autophagic Events Based on Lysosomal Delivery. Chemistry & Biology, 2011, 18, 1042-1052.
5. M. Sugiyama., A. Sakaue-Sawano., T. Iimura., K. Fukami., T. Kitaguchi., K. Kawakami., H. Okamoto., S. Higashijima., A. Miyawaki., Illuminating cell-cycle progression in the developing zebrafish embryo. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 2009, 106, 20812-20817.
6. S. Shimozono., H. Tsutsui., A. Miyawaki., Diffusion of large molecules into assembling nuclei revealed using an optical highlighting technique. Biophys. J., 2009, 97, 1288-1294.
7. A. Sakaue-Sawano., K. Ohtawa, H. Hama., M. Kawano., M. Ogawa., A. Miyawaki., Tracing the Silhouette of Individual Cells in S/G₂/M Phases with Fluorescence. Chemistry & Biology, 2008, 15, 1243-1248.
8. H. Kawano., T. Kogure., Y Abe., H. Mizuno., A. Miyawaki., Two-photon dual-color imaging using fluorescent proteins. Nature Methods, 2008, 5, 373-374.
9. A. Sakaue-Sawano ., H. Kurokawa., T. Morimura., A. Hanyu., H. Hama, H. Osawa., S. Kashiwagi., K. Fukami., T. Miyata., H. Miyoshi., T. Imamura., M. Ogawa., H. Masai., A. Miyawaki., Visualizing Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Multicellular Cell Cycle Progression. Cell, 2008, 132, 487-498.
10. R. Ando., H. Mizuno., A. Miyawaki., Regulated fast nucleocytoplasmic shuttling observed by reversible protein highlighting. Science, 2004, 306, 1370-1373.