
Team Leader
Hiroki Shibuya
Ph.D.
Laboratory for Gametogenesis
LocationKobe / Developmental Biology Buildings
E-mailhiroki.shibuya[at]riken.jp
Please replace [at] with @.
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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (2014)
doi: 10.1038/ncb2896
Members
Hiroki Shibuya
Team Leader