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Research

Research

BDR researchers coming from diverse research fields are working together to achieve higher goals.

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BDR hosts annual symposium and regular seminars inviting international scientists in life science.

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Careers & Study

BDR embraces people from diverse backgrounds, and strives to create an open and supportive setting for research.

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About Us

About Us

Exploring the scientific foundations of life through interdisciplinary approaches to address society’s problems.

 Photo of Team leder, Hiroki Shibuya

Team Leader
Hiroki Shibuya Ph.D.

Laboratory for Gametogenesis

LocationKobe / Developmental Biology Buildings

E-mailhiroki.shibuya[at]riken.jp

Please replace [at] with @.

Recruiting graduate students

Unraveling the peculiarities of germ cells that ensure the survival of species

Even though organisms reach the end of their lives at the individual level, they can survive semi-permanently at the species level by refreshing the genetic and epigenetic information in their germ cells and passing it on to the next generation. In order to ensure these processes, germ cells undergo a unique cell division called meiosis, which halves the number of chromosomes, and then undergo differentiation into sperm and eggs (gametes). Our team combines mouse and nematode genetics, cytology, and biochemistry to study the molecular basis of gametogenesis. In particular, we focus on the role of spermatid centrosomes in prophase I chromosome movement, homologous recombination, chromosome segregation, and flagellum formation.

Selected Publications

He S, Gillies JP, Zang JL, et al.
Distinct dynein complexes defined by DYNLRB1 and DYNLRB2 regulate mitotic and male meiotic spindle bipolarity.
Nature Communications 14(1), 1715 Mon Mar 27 00:00:00 JST 2023 doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37370-7

Zhang K, Tarczykowska A, Gupta DK, et al.
The TERB1 MYB domain suppresses telomere erosion in meiotic prophase I.
Cell Reports 38(4), 110289 Tue Jan 25 00:00:00 JST 2022 doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110289

Pendlebury DF, Zhang J, Agrawal R, et al.
Structure of a meiosis-specific complex central to BRCA2 localization at recombination sites.
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 28(8), 671-680 Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 JST 2021 doi: 10.1038/s41594-021-00635-0

Yamamoto I, Zhang K, Zhang J, et al.
Telomeric double-strand DNA-binding proteins DTN-1 and DTN-2 ensure germline immortality in Caenorhabditis elegans.
eLife 10, e64104 Thu Jan 21 00:00:00 JST 2021 doi: 10.7554/eLife.64104

Zhang J, Gurusaran M, Fujiwara Y, et al.
The BRCA2-MEILB2-BRME1 complex governs meiotic recombination and impairs the mitotic BRCA2-RAD51 function in cancer cells.
Nature Communications 11(1), 2055 Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 JST 2020 doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-15954-x

Zhang J, Fujiwara Y, Yamamoto S, Shibuya H.
A meiosis-specific BRCA2 binding protein recruits recombinases to DNA double-strand breaks to ensure homologous recombination.
Nature Communications 10(1), 722 Wed Feb 13 00:00:00 JST 2019 doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-08676-2

Zhang J, Tu Z, Watanabe Y, Shibuya H.
Distinct TERB1 Domains Regulate Different Protein Interactions in Meiotic Telomere Movement.
Cell Reports 21(7), 1715-1726 Tue Nov 14 00:00:00 JST 2017 doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.10.061

Shibuya H, Hernández-Hernández A, Morimoto A, et al.
MAJIN Links Telomeric DNA to the Nuclear Membrane by Exchanging Telomere Cap.
Cell 163(5), 1252-1266 Thu Nov 19 00:00:00 JST 2015 doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.10.030

Shibuya H, Morimoto A, Watanabe Y.
The dissection of meiotic chromosome movement in mice using an in vivo electroporation technique.
PLOS Genetics 10(12), e1004821 Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 JST 2014 doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004821

Shibuya H, Ishiguro K, Watanabe Y.
The TRF1-binding protein TERB1 promotes chromosome movement and telomere rigidity in meiosis.
Nature Cell Biology 16(2), 145-156 Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 JST 2014 doi: 10.1038/ncb2896

Members

Hiroki Shibuya

Team Leader

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