Hokkaido University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Professor Tomomi Nemoto's research lab specializes in advanced optical imaging technologies for live biological systems, with a focus on developing and applying innovative microscopy techniques to visualize dynamic cellular and neural processes in real time. The lab pioneers methods such as optical clearing for deep-tissue imaging, two-photon microscopy for high-resolution in vivo brain imaging, and intravital imaging of skin and pancreatic cells. Their work emphasizes understanding cellular dynamics—such as calcium signaling, actin reorganization, and mitotic division—within intact tissues and organs, particularly in the nervous system and epithelial tissues.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Elucidation of neural circuit functions requires visualization of the fine structure of neurons in the inner regions of thick brain specimens. However, the tissue penetration depth of laser scanning microscopy is limited by light scattering and/or absorption by the tissue. Recently, several optical clearing reagents have been proposed for visualization in fixed specimens. However, they require complicated protocols or long treatment times. Here we report the effects of 2,2'-thiodiethanol (TDE) s
Reorganization of F-actin in the apical region of mouse pancreatic acinar cells during Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis of zymogen granules was investigated by two-photon excitation microscopy with intact acini. Granules were rapidly coated with F-actin in response to either agonist stimulation or photolysis of a caged-Ca(2+) compound. Such F-actin coating occurred exclusively at the surface of granules undergoing exocytosis and was prevented either by latrunculin-A, which inhibits actin polymerizati
Epidermal structures are different among body sites, and proliferative keratinocytes in the epidermis play an important role in the maintenance of the epidermal structures. In recent years, intravital skin imaging has been used in mammalian skin research for the investigation of cell behaviors, but most of these experiments were performed with rodent ears. Here, we established a non-invasive intravital imaging approach for dorsal, ear, hind paw, or tail skin using R26H2BEGFP hairless mice. Using
Laser light microscopy enables observation of various simultaneously occurring events in living cells. This capability is important for monitoring the spatiotemporal patterns of the molecular interactions underlying such events. Two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy (two-photon microscopy), a technology based on multiphoton excitation, is one of the most promising candidates for such imaging. The advantages of two-photon microscopy have spurred wider adoption of the method, especially in ne
In vivo two-photon microscopy utilizing a nonlinear optical process enables, in living mouse brains, not only the visualization of morphologies and functions of neural networks in deep regions but also their optical manipulation at targeted sites with high spatial precision. Because the two-photon excitation efficiency is proportional to the square of the photon density of the excitation laser light at the focal position, optical aberrations induced by specimens mainly limit the maximum depth of
To understand brain functions, it is important to observe directly how multiple neural circuits are performing in living brains. However, due to tissue opaqueness, observable depth and spatiotemporal resolution are severely degraded <i>in vivo</i>. Here, we propose an optical brain clearing method for <i>in vivo</i> fluorescence microscopy, termed MAGICAL (magical additive glycerol improves clear alive luminance). MAGICAL enabled two-photon microscopy to capture vivid images with fast speed, at
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