The University of Tokyo · Medicine
Professor Michio Suzuki's research lab focuses on the molecular and structural biology of biomineralization, particularly in molluscan shells. The lab investigates the roles of organic matrix proteins and chitin in the formation of calcium carbonate-based biominerals, with a strong emphasis on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying shell biogenesis in species such as the Japanese pearl oyster and blue mussel. Key research directions include the identification and characterization of novel matrix proteins (e.g., Prismalin-14, BMSP100), the localization and function of chitin in prismatic and nacreous layers, and the application of advanced analytical techniques such as MS, NMR, and immunohistochemistry to elucidate biomineralization pathways. The lab also explores the evolutionary and functional conservation of biomineralization proteins across mollusk species.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
The mollusc shell is a hard tissue consisting of calcium carbonate and organic matrices. The organic matrices are believed to play important roles in shell formation. In the present study, we extracted and purified a novel matrix protein, named Prismalin-14, from the acid-insoluble fraction of the prismatic layer of the shell of the Japanese pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata), and determined its whole amino acid sequence by a combination of amino acid sequence analysis and MS analysis of the intact
Common abnormalities within the schizophrenia spectrum may be essential for the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, but additional pathological changes may be required for the development of full-blown schizophrenia. Clarifying the neurobiological similarities and differences between established schizophrenia and a milder form of schizophrenia spectrum disorder would potentially discriminate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the core features of the schizophrenia spectrum from those associ
To clarify the developmental brain changes during adolescence, brain morphology was compared between healthy younger adolescent and elder adolescent subjects using both voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and volumetric region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). High-resolution three-dimensional MRI scans were acquired in 23 (10 males and 13 females) younger adolescent subjects (13-14 years) and 30 (15 males and 15 females) elder adolescent subjects (19-21 years). Whole-bra
The shell of the Japanese pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata, consists of two layers, the prismatic layer on the outside and the nacreous layer on the inside, both of which comprise calcium carbonate and organic matrices. Previous studies indicate that the nacreous organic matrix of the central layer of the framework surrounding the aragonite tablet is beta-chitin, but it remains unknown whether organic matrices in the prismatic layer contain chitin or not. In the present study, we identified chitin
A 3-yr study with eight different onion cultivars, Allium cepa, was conducted to determine the association of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) with the storability of the bulbs. Onion bulbs were harvested in the fall of 1983, 1984 and 1985, and sample bulbs were analyzed for WSC. Water-soluble carbohydrates of onion bulbs consisted of a series of oligofructans, the maximum degree of polymerization (DP) being between 10 and 15, in addition to fructose, glucose and sucrose. Fructan concentration
The nacreous layer of molluscan shells consists of a highly organised, layered structure comprising calcium carbonate aragonite crystals, each surrounded by an organic matrix. In the Japanese pearl oyster Pinctada fucata, the Pif protein from the nacreous layer functions in aragonite binding, and plays a key role in nacre formation. Here, we investigated whether the blue mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis also has a protein with similar functions in the nacreous layer. By using a calcium carbonate
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