Hiroyuki Uechi Hiroyuki Uechi

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University *Profile is at the time of the award.

2026HagukumuBiology & Life sciences(hagukumu)

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Research topics: Organization of the tricellular junction by phase separation

Keyword

Summary: Tricellular junctions are contact sites of multiple cells and composed of specific proteins with unique molecular functions. It is not fully understood how these molecules establish the localization at tricellular junctions to function. Recently, I found phase separation, or condensation, as an underlying principle to organize dynamics and functions of a tricellular junction protein. In this study, I expand my expertise of in vitro reconstitution, fly genetics, and live imaging techniques to other tricellular junction proteins. With this, I aim to highlight the possible conserved role of condensation in localization and functioning of proteins at tricellular junctions.

Message

I am so looking forward to investigate how tricellular junctions, which always exist in multicellular systems including us, sculpt molecular compositions and functions from the view of intracellular phase separation, a recent thermodynamic concept underlying biomolecular dynamics.