Lectures and seminars Guest seminar - Hotaka Kobayashi, University of Tokyo

Welcome to a guest seminar by Dr. Hotaka Kobayashi from Tokushima University and The University of Tokyo on October 1^st at 13:00 in D1012, Biomedicum. 

Hotaka Kobayashi, Associate Professor at Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University and Visiting Associate Professor at the Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract:

Translation, the process by which mRNAs are decoded into proteins by ribosomes, is fundamental to life. This process is tightly regulated by various RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that interact with mRNAs. Traditionally, the study of translational regulation by RBPs has relied on biochemical ensemble methods, which measure a bulk collection of mRNAs outside of cells. Consequently, the behavior of individual mRNAs during translational regulation and their spatiotemporal dynamics within cells remain largely unexplored.

To overcome these limitations, we have developed a method to image translational regulation at single-mRNA resolution in cells (Kobayashi & Singer, 2022, Nature Commun). This method employs 3D three-color fluorescence microscopy to image single mRNAs, nascent peptides, and RBPs, coupled with quantitative colocalization analysis. This approach enables the automatic quantification of the translational activity and RBP-binding status of all individual mRNAs in situ, allowing visualization of translational regulation at single-cell and single-mRNA resolution. In this seminar, I will present the latest findings from our ongoing research using this method. 

Additional information about the speaker: https://sites.google.com/view/h-kobayashi-lab/home

Host: Kristian Jeppsson