| kunitomo@bs.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp | |
| TEL | +81-3-5841-4404 | 24404（ext.） |
| Room | 226, Faculty of Science Bldg.3 |
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Research Field
Molecular Genetics, Neuroscience
Research Subject
Molecular and neural mechanisms of an experience-dependent chemotaxis of <i>C. elegans</i>.
Current Research
We are interested in the molecular mechanisms as to how an experience-dependent adaptive behavior is generated. With a simple nervous system consisting of 302 neurons, the soil nematode <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> memorizes the salt concentration of previous cultivation and modulates navigation behavior on a salt gradient: adult wild-type animals are attracted to the salt concentration at which they have been fed, whereas they avoid it if they have been starved. Amenability of modern genetic methods allows us to identify and characterize genes and molecules that are required for the memory-dependent behavior.
Keywords
Learning and memory, Chemotaxis, <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>, Genetic screens, Optogenetics, Live-cell imaging