蚊は感染症を媒介する厄介な存在でありながら、短時間で大量の血液を吸う巧妙な吸血行動や、その後の栄養利用のしくみには生物学的な興味が尽きません。メス蚊は、吸血源を探す探索段階と、吸血により得た栄養で卵を成熟させる生殖段階を切り替えながら繁殖します。当研究室では、この「生殖周期スイッチ」の制御機構に注目し、神経科学・代謝・内分泌の視点からその本質に迫ります。将来的には、吸血を伴わずに蚊を卵成熟モードへと誘導し、宿主探索行動を抑制することで、感染症媒介の新たな制御戦略の構築を目指しています。
主要論文
Kato Y, Sakuma C.
Extrinsic and intrinsic regulation of blood feeding in mosquitoes.
Current Opinion in Insect Science
65, 101221 (2024)
doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2024.101221
Sakuma C, Iwamoto T, Masuda K, et al.
Fibrinopeptide A-induced blood-feeding arrest in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti
Cell Reports
43, 114354 (2024)
doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114354
Sakuma C, Maekawa E, Kanuka H.
Automated Long-Term Monitoring of the Heat-Seeking Behavior of Mosquitoes.
Cold Spring harbor Protocols
11, 108173 (2023)
doi: 10.1101/pdb.prot108173
Sakuma C, Maekawa E, Kanuka H.
Key Features and Considerations for Using Automated Long-Term Monitoring of Heat-Seeking Behavior of Mosquitoes.
Cold Spring harbor Protocols
11, 107665 (2023)
doi: 10.1101/pdb.top107665
Sakuma C, Kanuka H.
A simple and affordable method for estimating the fluid volume a mosquito sucks using food dyes.
Tropical Medicine and Health
49, 13 (2021)
doi: 10.1186/s41182-021-00302-6
Sakuma C, Saito Y, Umehara T, et al.
The Strip-Hippo Pathway Regulates Synaptic Terminal Formation by Modulating Actin Organization at the Drosophila Neuromuscular Synapses.
Cell Reports
16(9), 2289-2297 (2016)
doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.07.066
Sakuma C, Okumura M, Umehara T, et al.
A STRIPAK component Strip regulates neuronal morphogenesis by affecting microtubule stability.
Scientific Reports
5, 17769 (2015)
doi: 10.1038/srep17769
Sakuma C, Kawauchi T, Haraguchi S, et al.
Drosophila Strip serves as a platform for early endosome organization during axon elongation.
Nature Communications
5, 5180 (2014)
doi: 10.1038/ncomms6180
