The educational and research objectives in the Life Science Course include the following: 1) fostering highly specialized professionals and engineers who have accurate and extensive expertise in life science, the excellent ability to identify and solve problems, and foresight and deep insight into problems including life science; 2) developing creative researchers who can contribute to the development and application of basic life science. These objectives can be accomplished through the understanding of universal biological principles derived from the search for biomolecular structures and their functions based on genome science and dynamic, flexible and precise regulatory mechanisms at different levels from gene to individual.
Crystal structure of the SufC2-SufD2 complex involved in the biosynthesis of iron-sulfur clusters
The mentors responsible for this course are studying the following subjects.
The mentors are conducting a wide range of research from molecular to individual organism levels using a wide range of species, including bacteria, blue-green algae, fungi, green algae, higher plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates as materials. These fields are linked to the following keywords: gene expression control, metabolism of biomaterials, material transport, the initial stage of photosynthesis, response to environmental stress, DNA repair/cell death, the mechanisms of cell proliferation and differentiation, the ontogeny and brain formation of animals, the regulation of the neuroendocrine system, behavior and learning, aging, gene/cell evolution, and so forth. Collaborating teachers from RIKEN and other institutions are conducting research linked to the keywords of DNA recombination in eukaryotes, nucleocytoplasmic molecular distribution, insects’ developmental differentiation and environmental response in insects, the structure and function of new useful proteins, cell cycles, and posttranslational modification. The students who take this course will acquire cutting-edge knowledge through these research fields and master how to formulate research strategies, various research techniques, and academic paper writing skills.
