Kazuo Emoto

Kazuo Emoto is a Professor and Deputy Director at the International Research Center for Neurosciences (IRCN), The University of Tokyo. Affiliated with the Department of Biological Sciences in the Graduate School of Science, he leads research on Neuronal Morphogenesis in Development and Disease. His work integrates genetics, imaging, and biochemical approaches to study dendrite pruning, synapse elimination, and neural circuit dynamics using Drosophila and mouse models.

• Ph.D., Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo (Advisor: Prof. Keizo Inoue)
• Postdoctoral training with Dr. Umeda (Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Sciences) and Profs. Yuh-Nung Jan & Lily Jan (UCSF)
• Formerly: National Institute of Genetics (2006), Osaka Bioscience Institute (2010-2013)

Research focuses on:

• Genetic/epigenetic control of dendrite/axonal patterning
• Wnt signaling in neural boundary specification
• Calcium dynamics in compartmentalized pruning
• Role of membrane phospholipids in cytokinesis and neural development
• Threat response circuits and sleep state modulation
• UBE3A-mediated synapse elimination in disease contexts

Recent publications reveal:

• Novel mechanisms in Drosophila sensory neuron mechanosensitivity
• Time-dependent social isolation effects on brain morphology
• Spacial GABAergic pathways linking central and peripheral systems
• Theta activity's role in aversive memory circuits
• Evolutionary insights into human cortical cell composition
• Ubiquitin ligase regulation of developmental pruning

Laboratory leadership:

• 10th head of Edward Morse's 1877-founded lab
• IRCN core researcher (Advanced Brain Science Project)
• Advancing integrative approaches between data science and neurobiology