RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research Laboratory for Gametogenesis

Team Leader: Hiroki Shibuya (Ph.D.)

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Research Summary

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.

Main Research Fields

Biology

Related Research Fields

Biological Sciences
Developmental biology-related
Genetics-related

Keywords

gametogenesis
meiosis
chromosome
Centrosome

Selected Publications

Papers with an asterisk(*) are based on research conducted outside of RIKEN.

1. *Padmanaban S, Lambacher NJ, Tesmer VM, Zhang J, Shibuya H, Nandakumar J.:
"Caenorhabditis elegans telomere-binding proteins TEBP-1 and TEBP-2 adapt the Myb module to dimerize and bind telomeric DNA."
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 121(16):e2316651121 (2024)
2. *Zhang J, Ruiz M, Bergh PO, Henricsson M, Stojanović N, Devkota R, Henn M, Bohlooly-Y M, Hernandez-Hernandez A, Alsheimer M, Boren J, Pilon M, Shibuya H.:
"Regulation of meiotic telomere dynamics through membrane fluidity promoted by AdipoR2-ELOVL2."
Nature Communications 15(1):2315 (2024)
3. *He S, Gillies JP, Zang JL, Cordoba-Beldad CM, Yamamoto I, Fujiwara Y, Grantham J, DeSantis ME, Shibuya H.:
"Distinct dynein complexes defined by DYNLRB1 and DYNLRB2 regulate mitotic and male meiotic spindle bipolarity."
Nature Communications 14(1):1715 (2023)
4. *Zhang K, Tarczykowska A, Gupta DK, Pendlebury DF, Zuckerman C, Nandakumar J, Shibuya H.
"The TERB1 MYB domain suppresses telomere erosion in meiotic prophase I"
Cell Reports 38(4):110289 (2022)
5. *Pendlebury DF, Zhang J, Agrawal R, Shibuya H, Nandakumar J.:
"Structure of a meiosis-specific complex central to BRCA2 localization at recombination sites."
Nature Structural and Molecular Biology 28(8):671-680 (2021)
6. *Yamamoto I, Zhang K, Zhang J, Vorontsov E, Shibuya H.:
"Telomeric double-strand DNA-binding proteins DTN-1 and DTN-2 ensure germline immortality in Caenorhabditis elegans."
Elife 10:e64104 (2021)
7. *Zhang J, Gurusaran M, Fujiwara Y, Zhang K, Echbarthi M, Vorontsov E, Guo R, Pendlebury D, Alam I, Livera G, Emmanuelle M, Wang P, Nandakumar J, Davies O, Shibuya H:
"The BRCA2-MEILB2-BRME1 complex governs meiotic recombination and impairs the mitotic BRCA2-RAD51 function in cancer cells."
Nature Communications 11(1):2055 (2020)
8. *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)
9. *Zhang J, Tu Z, Watanabe Y, Shibuya H.:
"Distinct TERB1 domains regulate different protein interactions for meiotic telomere movement."
Cell Reports 21(7):1715-1726 (2017)
10. *Shibuya H, Hernandez-Hernandez A, Morimoto A, Lumi Negishi, Hoog C, Watanabe Y.:
"MAJIN links telomeric DNA to the nuclear membrane by exchanging telomere cap."
Cell 163(5):1252-1266 (2015)

Lab Members

Principal investigator

Hiroki Shibuya: Team Leader

Core members

Morie Ishida: Research Scientist
Yutaka Takeda: Postdoctoral Researcher
Eriko Kajikawa: Technical Staff I

Contact Information

Email: hiroki.shibuya [at] riken.jp