• menu
    • Search
    close

    Login

    Mizumoto Lab

    Research Focus Teams: Alzheimer's, Autism, Cancer

    Lab Team

    Dr. Kota Mizumoto
    Kota Mizumoto

    Associate Professor

    add

    CONTACT

    Profile
    Andrew “Andy” Lim

    Undergraduate Student

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Andrew Snow

    Graduate Student

    add

    CONTACT

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Anika Zhang

    Undergraduate Student

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Anna Xiao

    Undergraduate Student

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Charlotte Lee

    Undergraduate Student

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Hannah Kullmann

    Undergraduate Honours Thesis Student

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Kevin Lu

    Undergraduate Student

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Menghao Lu

    Graduate Student

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Mizuki Kurashina

    Graduate Student

    Profile
    Olivia McCurry

    Undergraduate Student

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Sophia Yevlash

    Co-op Student

    Profile
    Samples in the lab being handled.
    Sydney Ko

    Graduate Student

    Profile

    Ongoing Projects

    chevron_left
    chevron_right

    Mechanisms of presynaptic assembly

    Neurotransmitters are released from synapses that consists of many conserved proteins, yet little is know how these synaptic proteins are assembled into a functional synapse. Using split-fluorescent proteins to label endogenous synaptic proteins in live animals (Kurashina 2024), we investigate the roles of CaMKII in presynaptic assembly.

    Extrinsic and intrinsic cues that specify synapse patterning

    Position and number of synapses are tightly regulated by extrinsic and intrinsic cues. We show that Semaphorin-Plexin signaling and Wnt signaling play crucial roles in defining the spatial arrangement of synapses (Mizumoto; 2013; Chen 2017; Kurashina 2021). We are currently studying the functions of other signaling and cell adhesion molecules, and the intracellular mechanisms of synapse pattern formation. Particularly, we are focusing on the functions of SYG-2/IgCAM, MIG-15/TNIK and ZOO-1/ZO-1, and ARX-2/ARP2 in synapse number and position regulation.

    Genetic mechanisms of developmental neurite pruning

    Developmental neurite pruning is a conserved mechanisms by which neurons eliminate specific neuronal processes during development. Previously, we showed that Wnt signaling instruct developmental neurite pruning in the PDB motor neuron (Lu 2019). We are investigating the involvement of other signaling and cell adhesion molecules as well as their downstream components in neurite pruning.

    The function and regulation of GAP junctions

    Gap junctions are channels that mediate the electrical coupling of two neurons. Previously, we showed that a gap junction component, UNC-9, has a channel-independent function in controlling chemical synapse patterning (Hendi 2019). The UNC-9 gap junction is localized at the specific axonal place whereby regulating the chemical synapse patterning. We investigate how UN-9 localization is regulated, and how it controls chemical synapse patterning.