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Iwanaga R, Yahagi N, Hakeda‐Suzuki S, Suzuki T. Cell adhesion and actin dynamics factors promote axonal extension and synapse formation in transplanted Drosophila photoreceptor cells. Dev Growth Differ 2024; 66:205-218. [PMID: 38403285 PMCID: PMC11457513 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Vision is formed by the transmission of light stimuli to the brain through axons extending from photoreceptor cells. Damage to these axons leads to loss of vision. Despite research on neural circuit regeneration through transplantation, achieving precise axon projection remains challenging. To achieve optic nerve regeneration by transplantation, we employed the Drosophila visual system. We previously established a transplantation method for Drosophila utilizing photoreceptor precursor cells extracted from the eye disc. However, little axonal elongation of transplanted cells into the brain, the lamina, was observed. We verified axonal elongation to the lamina by modifying the selection process for transplanted cells. Moreover, we focused on N-cadherin (Ncad), a cell adhesion factor, and Twinstar (Tsr), which has been shown to promote actin reorganization and induce axon elongation in damaged nerves. Overexpression of Ncad and tsr promoted axon elongation to the lamina, along with presynaptic structure formation in the elongating axons. Furthermore, overexpression of Neurexin-1 (Nrx-1), encoding a protein identified as a synaptic organizer, was found to not only promote presynapse formation but also enhance axon elongation. By introducing Ncad, tsr, and Nrx-1, we not only successfully achieved axonal projection of transplanted cells to the brain beyond the retina, but also confirmed the projection of transplanted cells into a deeper ganglion, the medulla. The present study offers valuable insights to realize regeneration through transplantation in a more complex nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riku Iwanaga
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of TechnologyYokahamaJapan
| | - Nagisa Yahagi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of TechnologyYokahamaJapan
| | - Satoko Hakeda‐Suzuki
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of TechnologyYokahamaJapan
- Research Initiatives and Promotion OrganizationYokohama National UniversityYokohamaJapan
| | - Takashi Suzuki
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of TechnologyYokahamaJapan
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2
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Qian Y, Li T, Zhou S, Chen X, Yang Y. A Single-Component Optogenetic Gal4-UAS System Allows Stringent Control of Gene Expression in Zebrafish and Drosophila. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:664-671. [PMID: 36891673 PMCID: PMC10029753 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
The light-regulated Gal4-UAS system has offered new ways to control cellular activities with precise spatial and temporal resolution in zebrafish and Drosophila. However, the existing optogenetic Gal4-UAS systems suffer from having multiple protein components and a dependence on extraneous light-sensitive cofactors, which increase the technical complexity and limit the portability of these systems. To overcome these limitations, we herein describe the development of a novel optogenetic Gal4-UAS system (ltLightOn) for both zebrafish and Drosophila based on a single light-switchable transactivator, termed GAVPOLT, which dimerizes and binds to gene promoters to activate transgene expression upon blue light illumination. The ltLightOn system is independent of exogenous cofactors and exhibits a more than 2400-fold ON/OFF gene expression ratio, allowing quantitative, spatial, and temporal control of gene expression. We further demonstrate the usefulness of the ltLightOn system in regulating zebrafish embryonic development by controlling the expression of lefty1 by light. We believe that this single-component optogenetic system will be immensely useful in understanding the gene function and behavioral circuits in zebrafish and Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajie Qian
- Optogenetics
& Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key
Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East
China University of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai
Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism,
School of Pharmacy, East China University
of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Ting Li
- Optogenetics
& Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key
Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East
China University of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai
Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism,
School of Pharmacy, East China University
of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Siyu Zhou
- Optogenetics
& Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key
Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East
China University of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai
Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism,
School of Pharmacy, East China University
of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Xianjun Chen
- Optogenetics
& Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key
Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East
China University of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai
Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism,
School of Pharmacy, East China University
of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Optogenetics
& Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key
Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East
China University of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai
Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism,
School of Pharmacy, East China University
of Science and Technology, 130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China
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3
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Fischer FP, Karge RA, Weber YG, Koch H, Wolking S, Voigt A. Drosophila melanogaster as a versatile model organism to study genetic epilepsies: An overview. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1116000. [PMID: 36873106 PMCID: PMC9978166 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1116000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders, affecting more than 45 million people worldwide. Recent advances in genetic techniques, such as next-generation sequencing, have driven genetic discovery and increased our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind many epilepsy syndromes. These insights prompt the development of personalized therapies tailored to the genetic characteristics of an individual patient. However, the surging number of novel genetic variants renders the interpretation of pathogenetic consequences and of potential therapeutic implications ever more challenging. Model organisms can help explore these aspects in vivo. In the last decades, rodent models have significantly contributed to our understanding of genetic epilepsies but their establishment is laborious, expensive, and time-consuming. Additional model organisms to investigate disease variants on a large scale would be desirable. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a model organism in epilepsy research since the discovery of "bang-sensitive" mutants more than half a century ago. These flies respond to mechanical stimulation, such as a brief vortex, with stereotypic seizures and paralysis. Furthermore, the identification of seizure-suppressor mutations allows to pinpoint novel therapeutic targets. Gene editing techniques, such as CRISPR/Cas9, are a convenient way to generate flies carrying disease-associated variants. These flies can be screened for phenotypic and behavioral abnormalities, shifting of seizure thresholds, and response to anti-seizure medications and other substances. Moreover, modification of neuronal activity and seizure induction can be achieved using optogenetic tools. In combination with calcium and fluorescent imaging, functional alterations caused by mutations in epilepsy genes can be traced. Here, we review Drosophila as a versatile model organism to study genetic epilepsies, especially as 81% of human epilepsy genes have an orthologous gene in Drosophila. Furthermore, we discuss newly established analysis techniques that might be used to further unravel the pathophysiological aspects of genetic epilepsies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian P. Fischer
- Department of Epileptology and Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Robin A. Karge
- Department of Epileptology and Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Yvonne G. Weber
- Department of Epileptology and Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Neurology and Epileptology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Henner Koch
- Department of Epileptology and Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Stefan Wolking
- Department of Epileptology and Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Aaron Voigt
- Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- JARA-BRAIN Institute Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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4
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Bansal S, Lin S. Transcriptional Genetically Encoded Calcium Indicators in Drosophila. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2023; 2023:8-18. [PMID: 36167674 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top107797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Knowing which neurons are active during behavior is a crucial step toward understanding how nervous systems work. Neuronal activation is generally accompanied by an increase in intracellular calcium levels. Therefore, intracellular calcium levels are widely used as a proxy for neuronal activity. Many types of synthetic components and bioluminescent or fluorescent proteins that report transient and long-term changes in intracellular calcium levels have been developed over the past 60 years. Calcium indicators that enable imaging of the dynamic activity of a large ensemble of neurons in behaving animals have revolutionized the field of neuroscience. Among these, transcription-based genetically encoded calcium indicators (transcriptional GECIs) have proven easy to use and do not depend on sophisticated imaging systems, offering unique advantages over other types of calcium indicators. Here, we describe the two currently available fly transcriptional GECIs-calcium-dependent nuclear import of LexA (CaLexA) and transcriptional reporter of intracellular calcium (TRIC)-and review studies that have used them. In the accompanying protocol, we present step-by-step details for generating CaLexA- and TRIC-ready flies and for imaging CaLexA and TRIC signals in dissected brains after experimental manipulations of intact free-moving flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Bansal
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Suewei Lin
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
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5
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Ribeiro IMA, Eßbauer W, Kutlesa R, Borst A. Spatial and temporal control of expression with light-gated LOV-LexA. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2022; 12:6649684. [PMID: 35876796 PMCID: PMC9526042 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The ability to drive expression of exogenous genes in different tissues and cell types, under the control of specific enhancers, has been crucial for discovery in biology. While many enhancers drive expression broadly, several genetic tools were developed to obtain access to isolated cell types. Studies of spatially organized neuropiles in the central nervous system of fruit flies have raised the need for a system that targets subsets of cells within a single neuronal type, a feat currently dependent on stochastic flip-out methods. To access the same cells within a given expression pattern consistently across fruit flies, we developed the light-gated expression system LOV-LexA. We combined the bacterial LexA transcription factor with the plant-derived light, oxygen, or voltage photosensitive domain and a fluorescent protein. Exposure to blue light uncages a nuclear localizing signal in the C-terminal of the light, oxygen, or voltage domain and leads to the translocation of LOV-LexA to the nucleus, with the subsequent initiation of transcription. LOV-LexA enables spatial and temporal control of expression of transgenes under LexAop sequences in larval fat body and pupal and adult neurons with blue light. The LOV-LexA tool is ready to use with GAL4 and Split-GAL4 drivers in its current form and constitutes another layer of intersectional genetics that provides light-controlled genetic access to specific cells across flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês M A Ribeiro
- Department of Circuits-Computations-Models, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology , 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Eßbauer
- Department of Circuits-Computations-Models, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology , 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Romina Kutlesa
- Department of Circuits-Computations-Models, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology , 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Alexander Borst
- Department of Circuits-Computations-Models, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology , 82152 Martinsried, Germany
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6
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di Pietro F, Herszterg S, Huang A, Bosveld F, Alexandre C, Sancéré L, Pelletier S, Joudat A, Kapoor V, Vincent JP, Bellaïche Y. Rapid and robust optogenetic control of gene expression in Drosophila. Dev Cell 2021; 56:3393-3404.e7. [PMID: 34879263 PMCID: PMC8693864 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering gene function requires the ability to control gene expression in space and time. Binary systems such as the Gal4/UAS provide a powerful means to modulate gene expression and to induce loss or gain of function. This is best exemplified in Drosophila, where the Gal4/UAS system has been critical to discover conserved mechanisms in development, physiology, neurobiology, and metabolism, to cite a few. Here we describe a transgenic light-inducible Gal4/UAS system (ShineGal4/UAS) based on Magnet photoswitches. We show that it allows efficient, rapid, and robust activation of UAS-driven transgenes in different tissues and at various developmental stages in Drosophila. Furthermore, we illustrate how ShineGal4 enables the generation of gain and loss-of-function phenotypes at animal, organ, and cellular levels. Thanks to the large repertoire of UAS-driven transgenes, ShineGal4 enriches the Drosophila genetic toolkit by allowing in vivo control of gene expression with high temporal and spatial resolutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florencia di Pietro
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 3215, Inserm U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | | | - Anqi Huang
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Floris Bosveld
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 3215, Inserm U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | | | - Lucas Sancéré
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 3215, Inserm U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Pelletier
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 3215, Inserm U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Amina Joudat
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 3215, Inserm U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Varun Kapoor
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 3215, Inserm U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | | | - Yohanns Bellaïche
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 3215, Inserm U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France.
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7
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Uda Y, Miura H, Goto Y, Yamamoto K, Mii Y, Kondo Y, Takada S, Aoki K. Improvement of Phycocyanobilin Synthesis for Genetically Encoded Phytochrome-Based Optogenetics. ACS Chem Biol 2020; 15:2896-2906. [PMID: 33164485 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.0c00477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Optogenetics is a powerful technique using photoresponsive proteins, and the light-inducible dimerization (LID) system, an optogenetic tool, allows to manipulate intracellular signaling pathways. One of the red/far-red responsive LID systems, phytochrome B (PhyB)-phytochrome interacting factor (PIF), has a unique property of controlling both association and dissociation by light on the second time scale, but PhyB requires a linear tetrapyrrole chromophore such as phycocyanobilin (PCB), and such chromophores are present only in higher plants and cyanobacteria. Here, we report that we further improved our previously developed PCB synthesis system (SynPCB) and successfully established a stable cell line containing a genetically encoded PhyB-PIF LID system. First, four genes responsible for PCB synthesis, namely, PcyA, HO1, Fd, and Fnr, were replaced with their counterparts derived from thermophilic cyanobacteria. Second, Fnr was truncated, followed by fusion with Fd to generate a chimeric protein, tFnr-Fd. Third, these genes were concatenated with P2A peptide cDNAs for polycistronic expression, resulting in an approximately 4-fold increase in PCB synthesis compared with the previous version. Finally, we incorporated the PhyB, PIF, and SynPCB system into drug inducible lentiviral and transposon vectors, which enabled us to induce PCB synthesis and the PhyB-PIF LID system by doxycycline treatment. These tools provide a new opportunity to advance our understanding of the causal relationship between intracellular signaling and cellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youichi Uda
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Pathology and Biology of Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Haruko Miura
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Yuhei Goto
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Kei Yamamoto
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Yusuke Mii
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Yohei Kondo
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Shinji Takada
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Aoki
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
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