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Kusumi Lab
Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University
Kyoto University School of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences

Shougoin, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan

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Phone: +81-75-751-4112
Fax: +81-75-751-4113
akusumi<at>frontier.kyoto-u.ac.jp



Inauguration Lectures and Ceremony of the iCeMS
The First iCeMS International Symposium - The Eleventh International Membrane Research Forum

We are accepting the applications for the positions of internship students and computer programers.
If you are interested, please see the Japanese page (internship students/computer programers)

NEWS 　 ※ Note for pdf files

11 November, 2007
For these two months, many Japanese newspapers have reported the opening of our new institute, the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, iCeMS, established at Kyoto University on October 1, 2007.
for details

12 September, 2007
Our poposed new research center, the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences = iCeMS (PI, Prof. Dr. Norio Nakatsuji), was selected as one of the five centers in the program of "World Premier International Center Program" of the MEXT of the Japanese government. The official language for the iCeMS is English, and will have 30% non-Japanese scientists at all levels. The MEXT will provide the basic support for personnel, facilities, and basic equipments, whereas individual researchers are expected to obtain their own extramural supports at very high levels.
for details
Science featured this program. Science 317 (14 September, 2007) p. 1493 by Dennis Normile.
Press Releases by Kyoto University 　→　 http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp....

1 June, 2007
Many Japanese newspapers reported the new findings made by Ken Suzuki in our lab and others. According to their results, upon the engagement and the subsequent clustering of GPI-anchored receptors, somewhat stabilized raft nano-domains are formed on-demand for the signal transduction in the cellular plasma membrane. Such observations were made possible by the new development of single-molecule techniques in our lab.
for details
SciencePortal　→　 http://scienceportal.jp....
BiotechnologyJapan　→　 http://biotech.nikkeibp.co.jp....
Press Releases by Kyoto University 　→　 http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp....

Japanese Newspaper Articles : pdf (in Japanese)
The Asahi (28 May, 2007 p. 24)         The Kyoto (31 May, 2007 p. 9)   
The Sankei (22 May, 2007 p. 27)       The Nikkei (22 May, 2007 p. 38)
The Nikkan Kougyou (22 May, 2007)

07/02/27-03/01
The 10th Membrane Research Forum is held. Hop to "Archives: Membrane Research Forum Programs".

06/10/17
Aki's Birthday!! photo

06/09/15
Congratulations, Nobu Morone!! Nobu’s work, the result of his nine-year continuous effort, has been published in The Journal of Cell Biology (174, 851-862, 2006). detail

06/09/15
The newspaper, Asahi shinbun, featured our research (September 7, 2006).　 pdf (in Japanese)

06/08/24
Prof. Dr. Yossi Klafter (Heinemann Chair of Physical Chemistry, Tel Aviv University) let us know of a painting by Phillip Guston, entitled "Native's Return", which he encountered in Tate Museum in London. Detail

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Seminar

Roof Terrace (), Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences,
East Bldg. 5F, Kyoto University

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Archives___Membrane Research Forum Programs

Here are three slide shows that present some of our recent findings. These slide shows are based on the talks given by Aki Kusumi in various occasions, and therefore, they are given in the style of a lecture to young students.

Slide Show 1 The Membrane "Skeleton Fence (Corral)" Model. Single molecule observations of the dynamics of transmembrane proteins have revealed that the plasma membrane is compartmentalized with regard to translational diffusion of transmembrane proteins. Optical trap experiments and high-resolution single particle tracking observations in the presence and absence of reagents that modulate the membrane skeleton, with and without modulations of the cytoplasmic domains of the transmembrane proteins, indicated that the compartment boundaries are made of the membrane skeleton. In this "fence" model, the cytoplasmic domains of the transmembrane proteins collide with the actin-based membrane skeleton, inducing temporary confinement of the transmembrane proteins in the membrane skeleton mesh. The biological significance of the membrane skeleton is also discussed.
Slide Show 2 The Anchored-Protein "Picket" Model. We found that even phospholipids are corralled by the membrane skeleton by way of transmembrane proteins anchored to the membrane skeleton. This was found by carrying out single particle tracking at a time resolution as high as 25 μs (the effect of gold particles on lipid diffusion turned out to be very small as we compared single molecule dynamics of Cy3-tagged lipid with that of gold-tagged lipids).
　The compartment boundaries do not have to be totally closed off by the transmembrane proteins anchored to the membrane skeleton for temporary confinement of lipids within a compartment. Our Monte Carlo simulations showed that when only 20-30% of the boundary is occupied by these anchored transmembrane proteins, they induced temporary confinement like that observed in our single molecule experiments. This is due to the hydrodynamic-like friction effect (or ordering effect) of immobile proteins that would extend from the protein surface over the distance of about the diameter of the transmembrane protein.
Slide Show 3 The Diffusion Barrier in the Neuronal Cell Membrane.
This slide show is based on the talks given by Dr. Chieko Nakada, a post doc in our lab, in several occasions
Slide Show 4 Three-dimensional reconstruction of the membrane skeleton at the plasma membrane interface by electron tomography. This slide show is based on the presentation given by Dr. Nobuhiro Morone, who is now Group Leader at the National Center for Neurology and Psychiatry in various occasions.The Membrane-skeleton fence and anchored transmembrane-protein picket models shown in the Slide Shows 1 and 2 have now a strong support from the results of electron tomography of the membrane skeleton, shown in this Slide Show 4.

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