We revealed that several nuclear long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in cellular innate immune responses by forming special nuclear structures. Recently, it has been shown that RNAs including noncoding RNAs and messenger RNAs are important regulator for the formation of membrane-less organelle though liquid-liquid phase separation. Now, we are investigating the function of lncRNAs in the view of liquid-liquid phase separation to understand the roles of lncRNAs in stress responses.
RNA degradation is a key modulator of gene expression. We have been investigating RNA degradation mechanisms in both of nucleus and cytoplasm. In order to analyze stability of whole RNAs, we have developed original next-generation-sequence-based methods, such as BRIC-seq and Dyrec-seq.
PET (positron emission tomography) plays an important role in diagnostic imaging, such as cancer imaging and neuroimaging. We are working on development of animal imaging technology and applying it for medical use.