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KAMAGATA Kiyoto
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Title

Associate Professor
Department Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science
Course Biomolecular Science Course

Research fields

Proteins form liquid droplets and function as a group via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Proteins gather together in droplets, enabling highly efficient chemical reactions, but at the same time there is a risk of forming insoluble aggregates that can cause diseases. We aim to (1) understand LLPS phenomena using biophysical approaches like single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, (2) control LLPS of target proteins using peptide binder technology, and (3) design mini-proteins that undergo phase separation. So far, we have reported the LLPS of a tumor suppressor protein p53, the selective uptake rules of proteins into droplets and the laws of molecular motion within droplets, and the development of methods for designing peptides that can control LLPS. Currently, we are challenging to measure dynamics using optical tweezers, measure the movement of proteins in DNA droplets, develop methods for designing phase-separated mini-proteins, and design drug discovery molecules for disease-related proteins. Furthermore, using the arrigned DNA array technology "DNA Garden" and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, we are also elucidating the mechanism by which DNA-binding proteins move and function on DNA.

Research Keywords

Protein

Single molecule microscopy

Liquid-liquid phase separation

Biophysics

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