2022.03.18 Announcement of the 6th Waseda IARBD seminar “Microtubules in epithelial cells: Their organization and role” Mika Toya, Associate Prof, Waseda University The 6th seminar of the Waseda IARBD seminar series was a lecture by Dr. Mika Toya, associate professor of Waseda University. The lecture title was “Microtubule in epithelial cells: Their organisation and role”. Date : 7 April, 2022 Time : 17:00-18:00 (Japan Standard Time) Venue : Webinar, Zoom (You will know the link after your registration.) Lecturer : Dr. Mika Toya Associate Prof, Waseda University Title : “Microtubules in epithelial cells: Their organization and role” Registration Fee : Free Language : English Registration : Please register in the following link: https://forms.gle/pYvNbUaSjKf4xfMx8 Closing Date : 5 April, 2022 Contact : IARBD-Office: IARBD-office@list.waseda.jp Biography Mika Toya started her research activities after working for a chemical company for several years. She obtained her PhD from the University of Tokyo in 2001. After doing postdoctoral research at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany and Cancer Research UK in London, UK, she joined the laboratories of Dr. Asako Sugimoto and Dr. Masatoshi Takeichi at RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB; currently, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research [BDR]) as a special postdoctoral researcher and research scientist. From 2017, she joined Prof. Masamitsu Sato’s laboratory at Waseda University and became associate professor in 2020. She is interested in the organisation of the cytoskeleton, complex, dynamic structure within cells, and its diverse functions in living organisms. Abstract Microtubule cytoskeleton is responsible for fundamental cellular functions, such as cell division, cell migration, and morphogenesis. Its functional disruption can lead to disease in humans. Cells in our body are known to organise the characteristic array, or arrangement, of microtubules depending on cell type; however, much remains to be clarified about the organisation of the array and the way it functions to keep the body working optimally. Epithelial cells are a major component of what makes up various organs, including the intestines and kidneys. Epithelial cells contain highly-ordered microtubule arrays, with microtubules aligned along the apical-to-basal, or top-to-bottom, axis of the cell. This characteristic array of epithelial microtubules was discovered in the late 1980s and has been considered essential for epithelial functions; however, how they are organized has been a long-standing question in basic biology. Using mouse intestinal cells and cultured human cells, we showed that a microtubule end-binding protein, CAMSAP3, plays a pivotal role in orienting the epithelial array of microtubules and maintains intracellular architecture. Ongoing analysis of the Camsap3 mutant mice is expected to reveal new functions and the molecular mechanisms of epithelial microtubule organisation in kidneys. Organized by the Institute for Advanced Research of Bioscience Dynamics (IARBD)
