{"id":386,"date":"2017-10-24T12:22:24","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T16:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/?page_id=386"},"modified":"2024-09-18T07:25:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T11:25:11","slug":"mayu-inaba","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/faculty-and-staff\/mayu-inaba\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayu Inaba"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MayuAssociate Professor
\nDepartment of Cell Biology<\/p>\n

Contact<\/h3>\n

Phone: 860-679-3049
\nEmail: inaba@uchc.edu
\n<\/a>Office: E6053<\/p>\n

Inaba Lab<\/a><\/p>\n

UConn Health
\n263 Farmington Avenue
\nFarmington, CT 06030<\/p>\n

Research Interests<\/h3>\n

WHAT ARE STEM CELLS?<\/h3>\n

Each of your tissue contain small number of stem cells who can keep producing specialized tissue cells with a more specific function throughout of your life.<\/p>\n

When stem cells divide, their daughter cells become either new stem cells or specialized cells, such as blood cells, neurons, muscle cells or germ cells (e.g., sperm). No other cell in the body has the ability to divide forever.<\/p>\n

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW STEM CELLS ARE REGULATED?<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Understand how diseases occur.<\/strong>\u00a0As stem cells keep producing tissue cells, dysregulation of them results in many disease conditions including cancers, tissue degeneration and aging.\u00a0Better understanding of these conditions helps us to develop new therapeutic strategies for uncurable diseases.<\/li>\n
  2. Generate healthy cells to replace damaged or lost cells.<\/strong>\u00a0Stem cells can be used to produce specific cells that can be used in patients to regenerate or repair damaged tissues or organs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    WHAT DO WE DO?<\/h3>\n

    We use\u00a0Drosophila melanogaster<\/em>\u00a0(fruit flies) as a model system with a combination of genetics and various imaging techniques, including immunofluorescence, RNA and DNA FISH (fluorescent\u00a0in situ<\/em>\u00a0hybridization), and long-term live-imaging. Owing to a simple anatomy and abundant genetic tools, this system is especially suited to discover previously unrecognized regulatory mechanisms.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Niche ligand diffusion\u00a0ensures spatial control of the signal<\/strong><\/p>\n

    In the\u00a0Drosophila<\/em>\u00a0testis, germline stem cells (GSCs) are continuously producing sperm throughout the fly\u2019s lifetime. When a GSC divides in niche, one daughter cell\u00a0remains a GSC, while the other daughter cell starts differentiation.\u00a0Niche derived BMP ligand has been thought to only activate GSCs but no other daughter cells despite of physical proximity of these cells. Using\u00a0genetically-encoded nanobodies called Morphotraps, we blocked diffusion of BMP ligand without interfering with niche-stem cell signaling. Unexpectedly, we found that the diffusible fraction of ligand has opposite effect on the cells located inside and outside of the niche. It requires to promote differentiation of cells outside of the niche, while maintaining stemness of the cells inside of the niche, thereby ensuring spatial control of the niche with a single factor.<\/p>\n

    Current project is aiming to understand how the factor induces opposed responses in different cell types.<\/p>\n

    Related publication\u00a0https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45408-7<\/a><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Emerging function of somatic homolog pairing in stem cell regulation<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The pairing of homologous chromosomes is a fundamental process for meiotic recombination to exchange maternal and paternal genomic information. Homolog pairing also occurs in non-meiotic cells in a broad range of organisms including mammals.<\/p>\n

    We recently found a change in the physical interaction of a homologous gene locus of a stem-cell specific protein, Signal transducer and activator of transcription 92E (Stat92E), during asymmetric division of GSCs. We found that the\u00a0stat92E<\/em>\u00a0locus on two homologous chromosomes interacts closely (paired) in GSCs but becomes separated (unpaired) in the differentiating daughter cells. This “change” of pairing status seems to be required for prompt downregulation of this gene within next a couple of stages of differentiation. These results suggest a fascinating possibility that homolog pairing states is a potential mechanism that represents programmed gene expression changes which may occur in future. We are currently investigating more general roles of local homologous chromosome interaction on storage of cellar memory and cell fate determination.<\/p>\n

    Related publication\u00a0https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-022-31737-y<\/a><\/p>\n

    Lab Members<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Funding:\u00a0NIGMS 1R35GM128678-01<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Selected Publications<\/h4>\n

    Ridwan, Sharif M; Twillie, Autumn; Poursaeid, Samaneh; Beard, Emma Kristine; Bener, Muhammed Burak; Antel, Matthew; Cowan, Ann E; Matsuda, Shinya; Inaba, Mayu. Diffusible fraction of niche BMP ligand safeguards stem-cell differentiation.<\/a>\u00a0Nature communications<\/em> 2024 Feb;15(1):1166.<\/p>\n

    Matthew Antel, Taylor Simao, Muhammed Burak Bener, Mayu Inaba. Drosophila<\/em>\u00a0CG17003\/leaky (lky)<\/em>\u00a0is required for microtubule acetylation in early germ cells in Drosophila ovary<\/a>\u00a0PLoS One<\/em>. 2022\u00a0Nov 7;17(11):e0276704.<\/p>\n

    Antel M, Raj R, Masoud MYG, Pan Z, Li S, Mellone BG, Inaba M.<\/span> Interchromosomal interaction of homologous Stat92E alleles regulates transcriptional switch during stem-cell differentiation.<\/a> Nat Commun<\/em>. 2022 Jul 9;13(1):3981. doi: 10.1038\/s41467-022-31737-y.<\/span> PMID: <\/span>35810185<\/span> Free PMC article.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Inaba M, Ridwan SM, Antel M.\u00a0<\/span>Removal of cellular protrusions.<\/a> Semin Cell Dev Biol<\/em>. 2022 Sep;129:126-134. doi: 10.1016\/j.semcdb.2022.02.025. Epub 2022 Mar 5.<\/span> PMID: <\/span>35260295<\/span> Review.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Sardi, Justin; Bener, Muhammed Burak; Simao, Taylor; Descoteaux, Abigail E; Slepchenko, Boris M; Inaba, Mayu. “Mad dephosphorylation at the nuclear pore is essential for asymmetric stem cell division<\/a>“. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America <\/em>2021 Mar;<\/span>118<\/span>(13).<\/span><\/p>\n

    Ladyzhets, Sophia; Antel, Matthew; Simao, Taylor; Gasek, Nathan; Cowan, Ann E; Inaba, Mayu. “Self-limiting stem-cell niche signaling through degradation of a stem-cell receptor<\/a>“.\u00a0PLoS biology<\/em> 2020 Dec;<\/span>18<\/span>(12):<\/span>e3001003.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Antel, Matthew; Baena, Valentina; Terasaki, Mark; Inaba, Mayu. “Ultrastructural Analysis of Cell-Cell Interactions in Drosophila Ovary<\/a>“. Methods in molecular biology<\/em> (Clifton, N.J.)<\/span> 2021 Jan.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Antel, Matthew; Inaba, Mayu. “Modulation of Cell-Cell Interactions in Drosophila Oocyte Development<\/a>“.Cells<\/em> 2020 Jan;<\/span>9<\/span>(2).<\/span><\/p>\n

    Mayu Inaba, Dorothy R. Sorenson, Matt Kortus, Viktoria Salzmann, & Yukiko M. Yamashita. “Merlin<\/em> is required for coordinating proliferation of two stem cell lineages in the Drosophila<\/em> testis<\/a>“. Scientific Reports<\/em> 7: 2502, DOI:10.1038\/s41598-017-02768-z. May 2017.<\/p>\n

    Cuie Chen, Mayu Inaba, Zsolt G Venkei, Yukiko M Yamashita. “Klp10A, a stem cell centrosome-enriched kinesin, balances asymmetries in Drosophila male germline stem cell division<\/a>“. eLife<\/em> 2016;5:e20977. http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.7554\/eLife.20977<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Inaba and Y. M. Yamashita, \u201cEvaluation of the Asymmetric Division of Drosophila Male Germline Stem Cells.<\/a>\u201d Methods Mol. Biol.<\/em>, vol. 1463, pp. 49\u201362, 2017.<\/p>\n

    Chaturvedi, M. Inaba, S. Scoggin, and M. Buszczak, \u201cDrosophila CG2469 Encodes a Homolog of Human CTR9 and Is Essential for Development<\/a>.\u201d G3 (Bethesda).<\/em>, Sep. 2016.<\/p>\n

    Inaba, Y. M. Yamashita, and M. Buszczak, \u201cKeeping stem cells under control: New insights into the mechanisms that limit niche-stem cell signaling within the reproductive system.<\/a>\u201d Mol. Reprod. Dev.<\/em>, vol. 83, no. 8, pp. 675\u201383, Aug. 2016.<\/p>\n

    Buszczak, M. Inaba, and Y. M. Yamashita, \u201cSignaling by Cellular Protrusions: Keeping the Conversation Private<\/a>.\u201d Trends Cell Biol.<\/em>, vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 526\u201334, Jul. 2016.<\/p>\n

    Inaba, M. Buszczak, and Y. M. Yamashita, \u201cNanotubes mediate niche-stem-cell signalling in the Drosophila testis<\/a>.\u201d Nature<\/em>, vol. 523, no. 7560, pp. 329\u2013332, Jul. 2015.<\/p>\n

    Inaba, Z. G. Venkei, and Y. M. Yamashita, \u201cThe polarity protein Baz forms a platform for the centrosome orientation during asymmetric stem cell division in the Drosophila male germline<\/a>.\u201d Elife<\/em>, vol. 4, p. e04960, Jan. 2015.<\/p>\n

    Salzmann, M. Inaba, J. Cheng, and Y. M. Yamashita, \u201cLineage tracing quantification reveals symmetric stem cell division in drosophila male germline stem cells<\/a>.\u201d Cell. Mol. Bioeng.<\/em>, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 441\u2013448, 2013.<\/p>\n

    Inaba and Y. M. Yamashita, \u201cAsymmetric stem cell division: Precision for robustness<\/a>.\u201d Cell Stem Cell<\/em>, vol. 11, no. 4. pp. 461\u2013469, 2012.<\/p>\n

    M. Roth, C.-Y. Y. A. Chiang, M. Inaba, H. Yuan, V. Salzmann, C. E. Roth, and Y. M. Yamashita, \u201cCentrosome misorientation mediates slowing of the cell cycle under limited nutrient conditions in Drosophila male germline stem cells<\/a>.\u201d Mol Biol Cell<\/em>, vol. 23, no. 8, pp. 1524\u20131532, Apr. 2012.<\/p>\n

    Inaba, H. Yuan, and Y. M. Yamashita, \u201cString (Cdc25) regulates stem cell maintenance, proliferation and aging in Drosophila testis<\/a>.\u201d Development<\/em>, vol. 138, no. 23. pp. 5079\u20135086, 2011.<\/p>\n

    Inaba, H. B. Yuan, V. Salzmann, M. T. Fuller, and Y. M. Yamashita,\u00a0 “E-Cadherin Is Required for Centrosome and Spindle Orientation in Drosophila Male Germline Stem Cells<\/a>,\u201d PLoS One<\/em>, vol. 5, no. 8, p. e12473, Jan. 2010.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Associate Professor Department of Cell Biology Contact Phone: 860-679-3049 Email: inaba@uchc.edu Office: E6053 Inaba Lab UConn Health 263 Farmington Avenue Farmington, CT 06030 Research Interests WHAT ARE STEM CELLS? Each of your tissue contain small number of stem cells who can keep producing specialized tissue cells with a more specific function throughout of your life. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":187,"featured_media":0,"parent":69,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 12:22:46","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/386"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/187"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3484,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/386\/revisions\/3484"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/69"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}