Masaki Shirayama

Masaki Shirayama is an Assistant Professor at the UMass Chan Medical School, affiliated with the RNA Therapeutics Institute under the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. His research focuses on Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Developmental Biology, with a specialization in C. elegans genetics and RNA regulatory mechanisms.

• Education: PhD in Biology from the University of Tokyo, Japan.

Shirayama's work explores the roles of Argonaute proteins, piRNAs, and epigenetic signals in germline gene expression and RNA interference. He investigates asymmetric cell division, chromosome segregation, and Wnt signaling pathways using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism.

His publications (15 most recent) highlight themes in RNA regulation, epigenetic inheritance, germline genome surveillance, and developmental gene networks. Key subfields include piRNA function, Argonaute pathways, cytokinesis, cell polarity, and RNA-binding protein interactions.

Shirayama collaborates with researchers such as Craig Mello, Darryl Conte, and Zhiping Weng within the RNA Therapeutics Institute. His work spans genetics, embryology, and molecular mechanisms of gene regulation.