26th December 2023
Fara Difka Afdilla, Hiromu Yamada and Yuta Hirano (1st year graduate students) presented their research projects at the master’s interim presentation.
The titles were
Fara Difka Afdilla
Development of the effective yeast system for screening of inhibitors against human mitotic kinesin motors
Hiromu Yamada
Functional analysis of the γ-tubulin complex, a microtubule nucleator in mitotic spindle assembly and maintenance in fission yeast
Yuta Hirano
An essential role of fission yeast CLASP homolog Peg1 in mitotic spindle assembly
16th -17th November 2023
The 24th biennial symposium of yeast societies（第２４回酵母合同シンポジウム）was held at Higashi Hiroshima Arts & Culture Hall Kurara. Hiromu Yamada, Yuta Hirano and Masashi Yukawa attended and supported the symposium.
9th -10th November 2023
Masashi Yukawa and Yusuke Sakai attended 40th annual meeting of Yeast Workshop in Yamaguchi (KDDI Ishin Hall, Yamaguchi City Industrial Exchange Base Facility) and Yusuke had his presentation.
The title was
Yusuke Sakai
Exploring the molecular mechanism of actin-dependent mitotic nuclear displacement
(アクチン繊維による分裂期特異的細胞核移動の分子制御機構)
21st October 2023
Yuta Hirano, Hiromu Yamada and Woosang Hwang attended the Biomedical Science Seminar, which is a class for graduate students in the master or PhD course of the program of Biomedical Science. They had their oral presentations and Woosang Hwang was awarded the Best Presentation Award.
The titles were
Yuta Hirano
Molecular mechanisms of M-phase spindle formation by fission yeast MT crosslinking and stabilizing factor
Hiromu Yamada
Functional analysis of the γ-tubulin complex, a microtubule nucleator in mitotic spindle assembly and maintenance in fission yeast
Woosang Hwang
Exploring the molecular mechanism of actin-dependent mitotic nuclear positioning
9th-13th October 2023
Cold Spring Harbor Asia Conference on “Yeast and Life Sciences” was held at Kunibiki Messe in Shimane Prefectural Convention Center.
Fara Difka Afdilla and Woosang Hwang attended this meeting and had their poster presentations. Woosang Hwang was awarded the Best Poster Award at the meeting.
The titles were
Fara Difka Afdilla
A fission yeast-based platform for screening potent human kinesin-5/Eg5 inhibitors
Woosang Hwang
Exploring the molecular mechanism of actin-dependent mitotic nuclear positioning
15th September 2023
The 23rd Exchange Meeting on Microeukaryotes was held at the National Research Institute of Brewing (NRIB) and Masashi Yukawa had an oral presentation.
The title was
Escape from mitotic catastrophe by actin-dependent nuclear displacement in fission yeast
(アクチン繊維による核移動を介した細胞分裂死回避機構)
30th August -1st September 2023
Masashi Yukawa and Woosang Hwang attended 56th annual meeting of Yeast Genetic Society of Japan in Niigata (Niigata University, Igarashi Campus) and had their presentations.
The titles were
Masashi Yukawa
A critical role of microtubule-associated protein Peg1/Cls1 required for spindle formation in fission yeast
(分裂酵母の生育に必須な微小管結合因子Peg1/Cls1の紡錘体形成における役割)
Woosang Hwang
Exploring the molecular mechanism of actin-dependent nuclear displacement during mitosis
(分裂期におけるアクチン繊維に依存した細胞核移動の分子メカニズム解析)
28th July 2023
Professor Takashi Toda retired at the end of July after 9 years working for Hiroshima University. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to work with or learn from him and so appreciate his kind support and professional advices. We wish him continued good health and happiness in the future.
27th July 2023
Woosang Hwang performed an oral presentation in the 9th HiHA Young Researchers International Workshop.
The title: Exploring the molecular mechanism of actin-dependent mitotic nuclear positioning
28th May-2nd June 2023
Pombe2023 Hiroshima was held at JMS Aster Plaza Hall from May 28th to June 2nd.
Takashi Toda and Masashi Yukawa acted as meeting organisers.
Fara Difka Afdilla, Yuta Hirano, Hiromu Yamada, Woosang Hwang and Masashi Yukawa had poster presentation.
Woosang Hwang was awarded the Outstanding Poster Presentation Award at the meeting.
The titles were
Fara Difka Afdilla
Fission yeast expressing human kinesin-5/Eg5 motor protein provides an effective platform for screening for anti-cancer compounds
Yuta Hirano
Regulation of microtubule cross-linking activity for mitotic spindle assembly
Hiromu Yamada
Roles of the microtubule nucleator, the γ-tubulin complex, in mitotic spindle assembly
Woosang Hwang
Exploring the molecular mechanism of actin-dependent mitotic nuclear positioning
Masashi Yukawa
Mechanisms of the kinesin-5-independent bipolar spindle assembly
25th May 2023
POMBE2023 Hiroshima will start on May 28!!
8th April 2023
Annual get-gather party for regional yeast researchers was held on 8th April at Kagamiyama Park. This year the party was organised by Associate Professor Kouichi Funato and his colleagues at Hiroshima University (Program of Food and AgriLife Science). From our group, six members (Masashi Yukawa, Woosang Hwang, Hiromu Yamada, Yuta Hirano, Fara Difka Afdilla and Yusuke Sakai) attended and enjoyed talking to attendants.
3rd April 2023
Yusuke Sakai (酒井 勇輔) joined our group as a new B4 student.
23rd March 2023
The 4th-year undergraduate students (Hiromu Yamada, Aoi Takenoya and Yuta Hirano) and the 2nd-year master’s course students (Woosang Hwang and Sharmin Sultana) have finished their courses. Many congratulations! Hiromu Yamada, Yuta Hirano and Fara Difka Afdilla (she is an international research student) will be enrolled in our Master’s program and Woosang Hwang will go on to our PhD program from April.
Upper photo, from left to right: Fara Difka Afdilla, Hiromu Yamada, Aoi Takenoya, Yuta Hirano
Lower photo, from left to right: Woosang Hwang and Takashi Toda
15th March 2023
Woosang Hwang, Hiromu Yamada, Yuta Hirano and Masashi Yukawa attended the 2023 annual meeting of the JSBBA held in Hiroshima and had oral presentations (Online).
Woosang Hwang:
Analysis of the molecular mechanism of actin-dependent mitotic nuclear displacement in fission yeast
（分裂期特異的アクチン繊維による細胞核移動の分子機序解析）
Hiromu Yamada:
Novel roles of the principal microtubule nucleator γ-TuRC (γ-tubulin ring complex) in mitotic spindle assembly in fission yeast
（分裂酵母紡錘体形成における微小管重合開始因子γ-チューブリン複合体の新たな役割）
Yuta Hirano:
Regulation of microtubule cross-linking activity for mitotic spindle assembly in fission yeast
（分裂酵母におけるM期紡錘体構造の架橋制御機構）
Masashi Yukawa:
Fission yeast expressing human mitotic kinesin motor protein provides an effective platform for screening for anti-cancer compounds
（ヒト分裂期キネシン発現酵母を利用した抗ガン剤探索システムの基盤構築）
13th March 2023
Takashi Toda gave a talk at HIRAKU-Global Workshop.
The title is
[Message to HIRAKU/HIRAKU-G Researchers]
27th February-3rd March 2023
Takashi Toda attended the 14th HOPE meeting held in Tsukuba. He acted as a modulator for Dr Tim Hunt (Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 2001), whom Takashi knows for a long time as they worked in the same institute in London and shared scientific interests.
20th February 2023
Takashi Toda attended HIRAKU-Global International Symposium/Annual Conference FY2022. He acts belong to the advisory board of HIRAKU-Global and also acts as a member for several HIRAKU-Global Researchers.
17th February 2023
Dr Hiroshi Ochiai, who is Associate Professor at Division of Biological and Life Sciences Graduate School of Integrated Sciences in Hiroshima University, visited Takashi. He will move to Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University as a full professor from 1st March. He said goodbye to Takashi, who in turn sent his very best wishes back to Hiroshi.
Hiroshi, good luck in your new work place and position.
14th February 2023
4th year undergraduate students, Hiromu Yamada, Aoi Takenoya and Yuta Hirano, presented their graduation researches.
Hiromu Yamada
“分裂酵母の紡錘体形成における微小管重合開始因子の役割”
(Roles of the principal microtubule nucleator in mitotic spindle assembly in fission yeast)
Aoi Takenoya
“５型キネシンを必要としない新規紡錘体形成経路で働く因子の探索”
(Screening of novel factors involved in kinesin-5-independent mitotic spindle assembly)
Yuta Hirano
“分裂酵母におけるM期紡錘体構造の架橋制御機構”
(Regulation of microtubule cross-linking activity for mitotic spindle assembly in fission yeast)
10th February 2023
2nd year graduate students, Woosang Hwang and Sharmin Sultana, presented their master course researches.
Woosang Hwang
“M期特異的アクチン繊維による細胞核移動の分子機序解析”
(Study of the molecular mechanism of actin-dependent mitotic nuclear displacement)
Sharmin Sultana
“分裂酵母を利用したヒト分裂期キネシンの機能解析”
(Functional analysis of human mitotic kinesins using fission yeast)
10th January 2023
Registration and abstract submission have started for Pombe2023 Hiroshima (https://www.fission-yeast2023.org/), which Takashi Toda and Masashi Yukawa act as meeting organisers.
