Chief Scientist Laboratories RNA Systems Biochemistry Laboratory
Chief Scientist: Shintaro Iwasaki (Ph.D.)
Research Summary

“The central dogma of molecular biology”, which represents information flow from DNA to RNA to protein, has been most basic principle in life. Recent quantitative and comprehensive analysis revealed that amount of RNA could not simply correlate with protein abundance in cells, suggesting that “translation control” significantly contributes to gene expression in more general than as we previously expected. Our laboratory tackles the unknown mechanism of translation control, by the combination of next-generation deep sequencing and classical biochemistry.
Main Research Fields
- Biology
Related Research Fields
- Biological Sciences
- Life science
- Genome science
Keywords
- translation
- RNA
- Inhibitors
Selected Publications
- 1.
Kashiwagi K#, Shichino Y#, Osaki T#, Sakamoto A, Nishimoto M, Takahashi M, Mito M, Weber F, Ikeuchi Y*, Iwasaki S*, and Ito T*. (#: equal contribution)
"eIF2B-capturing viral protein NSs suppresses the integrated stress response."
Nat Commun. 12(1):7102. (2021) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27337-x - 2.
Chhipi Shrestha JK, Schneider-Poetsch T, Suzuki T, Mito M, Khan K, Dohmae N, Iwasaki S*, and Yoshida M*.
"Splicing modulators elicit global translational repression by condensate-prone proteins translated from introns."
Cell Chem Biol. 29(2):259-275.e10. (2022) DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.07.015 - 3.
Makino S, Kawamata T, Iwasaki S*, and Ohsumi Y*.
"Selectivity of mRNA degradation by autophagy."
Nat Commun. 12(1):2316. (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22574-6 - 4.
Yoshimoto R, Chhipi Shrestha JK, Schneider-Poetsch T, Furuno M, Burroughs MA, Noma S, Suzuki H, Hayashizaki Y, Mayeda A, Nakagawa S, Kaida D, Iwasaki S*, and Yoshida M*.
"Spliceostatin A interaction with SF3B1 limits U1 snRNP availability and causes premature cleavage and polyadenylation."
Cell Chem Biol. 28(9):1356-1365.e4. (2021) DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.03.002 - 5.
Chen M, Asanuma M#, Takahashi M#, Shichino Y, Mito M, Fujiwara K, Saito H, Floor SN, Ingolia NT, Sodeoka M, Dodo K, Ito T, and Iwasaki S*. (#: equal contribution)
"Dual targeting of DDX3 and eIF4A by the translation inhibitor rocaglamide A."
Cell Chem Biol. 28(4):475-486.e8. (2021) DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2020.11.008 - 6.
Han P, Shichino Y, Schneider-Poetsch T, Mito M, Hashimoto S, Udagawa T, Kohno K, Yoshida M, Mishima Y, Inada T, and Iwasaki S*.
"Genome-wide survey of ribosome collision."
Cell Rep. 31(5):107610. (2020) DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107610 - 7.
Padrón A, Iwasaki S, and Ingolia NT.
"Proximity RNA labeling by APEX-Seq reveals the organization of translation initiation complexes and repressive RNA granules."
Mol Cell. 75(4):875-887.e5. (2019) DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.07.030 - 8.
Iwasaki S*, Iwasaki W#, Takahashi M#, Sakamoto A, Watanabe C, Shichino Y, Floor SN, Fujiwara K, Mito M, Dodo K, Sodeoka M, Imataka H, Honma T, Fukuzawa K, Ito T*, and Ingolia NT*. (#: equal contribution)
"The translation inhibitor rocaglamide targets a bimolecular cavity between eIF4A and polypurine RNA."
Mol Cell. 73(4):738-748.e9. (2019) DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2018.11.026 - 9.
Iwasaki S, Floor SN, and Ingolia NT.
"Rocaglates convert DEAD-box protein eIF4A into a sequence-selective translational repressor."
Nature. 534(7608):558-61. (2016) DOI: 10.1038/nature17978 - 10.
Iwasaki S#, Sasaki MH#, Sakaguchi Y, Suzuki T, Tadakuma H, and Tomari Y. (#: equal contribution)
"Defining fundamental steps in the assembly of the Drosophila RNAi enzyme complex."
Nature. 521(7553):533-6. (2015) DOI: 10.1038/nature14254
Recent Research Results
Jun. 1, 2023
How a fungus sidesteps a plant’s defense mechanism
Annual research report
Related Links
Lab Members
Principal investigator
- Shintaro Iwasaki
- Chief Scientist
Core members
- Yuichi Shichino
- Research Scientist
- Hirotaka Tou
- Visiting Researcher
- Peixun Han
- Visiting Researcher
- Naohiro Kawamoto
- Visiting Researcher
- Hironori Saito
- Junior Research Associate
- Antonios Apostolopoulos
- International Program Associate
- Kotaro Tomuro
- RIKEN Student Researcher M
- Taisei Wakigawa
- Student Trainee
- Yuma Tsukada
- Student Trainee
- Mari Mito
- Technical Staff I
- Rie Yokoyama
- Special Temporary Employee
- Miho Tsunashima
- Administrative Part-time Worker I
Contact Information
S205 Bioscience Bldg,
2-1 Hirosawa,
Wako, Saitama
351-0198, Japan
Email: shintaro.iwasaki [at] riken.jp