News

The bone metabolism is largely regulated by hormones, but more recently, the involvement of an intracellular protein named CNOT has been discovered.

In February 2014, Professor Noriyuki Satoh published a book “Developmental Genomics of Ascidians.”

The Marine Genomics Unit has decoded the genome of the algae Symbiodinium minutum. This is a major advance in understanding the complex ecology of coral reefs.

A research team including OIST's Prof. Noriyuki Satoh has discovered that mealybugs have a tripartite symbiosis dependent on genes from multiple diverse bacteria.

In a paper in the June 5 issue of Neuron, researchers in the Cell Signal Unit and colleagues identified the mechanism behind how synapses assemble in cortico-basal ganglia circuits.

Noriyuki Satoh and researchers have found the first genomic evidence for a common deuterostome ancestor – bringing together a diverse lineage of animals ranging from humans to sea stars.

To respond to the body’s needs, our cells are constantly switching specific genes on or off. Flipping the switch means the cells either start or stop making copies of a gene out of molecules known as RNA; these so-called “transcripts” are then read by protein-making machinery to manufacture the gene’s final product.

As we grow, an intricate choreography of genetic controls begins to differentiate our cells, turning some genes off and others up to full-blast, eventually yielding fully-formed animals. Researchers at OIST are working to learn more about this choreography.

The OIST Marine Genomics Unit, in collaboration with Japanese research groups including from the University of Tokyo and Mikimoto Co., Ltd., has completed the first decoding of the genome of the Japanese pearl oyster.

Cells multiply by growing and dividing into two, following a regular pattern called the cell cycle.

Dr. Mitsuhiro Yanagida, Principal Investigator at OIST's G0 Cell Unit, proposes that some food compounds - metabolites - found in local Okinawan plants and fruits such as, Ukon (turmeric) and Tankan (a Japanese citrus fruit) likely activate genes found to increase life span.

A coral genome has been decoded for the first time by the Marine Genomics Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST).