INTRODUCTION t is my great pleasure to introduce to you all the I 2017 Annual Report of the National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB), which outlines the research activities of the Institute and its effective function as a center for col- laborative research in Japan over the last year. Given these important missions of the Institute, I recognize my strong responsibility to maintain the liberal and forward-looking atmosphere for research and discussion that NIBB has kept for many years, which I believe is a basis for these remark- able activities. The winning of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine by Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, who is a Professor Emeritus of NIBB, was effective in reminding the society and the government of the importance of basic research. The government apparently compromised the trend to reduce the fundamental budget for universities and inter-university research institute corporations in total, and I sincerely wish we would be finally at a turning point to the increase of support, which would be indispensable to recovery of the leading status of Japan in science. NIBB will stride properly to open up and foster new research fields in biology. To this end, every person in NIBB should do his/her best in accomplishing good research, keeping high ethics and compliance. Good science, even in a basic research field, will eventually benefit human beings. The history of science tells us this is true. NIBB will work hard to be truly acknowledged as a remarkable institution by society. Please find in this booklet a summary of the research, col- laborative, educational, and international activities of NIBB in 2017. I would like to note that we welcomed several new colleagues in 2017, including one associate professor, five assistant professors, and five NIBB research fellows, while four colleagues transferred to other institutes. I would like to congratulate Associate Professor Nobuyuki Shiina for winning the Astellas Award for the Best Biomedical Research, Mr. Takuya Norizuki for winning an Outstanding Poster Award from an academic society and Dr. Takashi Matsuda for winning the 22nd Nagakura Research Incentive Award, as detailed on page 7. To establish NIBB as an international leading institute in the field of basic biology, we always welcome your sugges- tions, comments and queries concerning our activities, in addition to your warm support. Masayuki Yamamoto Director General of NIBB March 30, 2018 1 ORGANIZATION OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR BASIC BIOLOGY The National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB) was ■ Organization founded in 1977 on a hill overlooking the old town of National Institutes of Okazaki in Aichi prefecture as one of the Inter-University Research Institutes to promote and stimulate studies of Natural Sciences biology. NIBB conducts first-rate research on site as well as (NINS) in cooperation with national, public and private universities and research organizations. NIBB attempts to elucidate the President general and fundamental mechanisms underlying various KOMORI, Akio biological phenomena throughout a wide variety of biologi- National Astronomical cal fields, such as cell biology, developmental biology, neu- Observatory of Japan (NAO) robiology, evolutionary biology, environmental biology, and theoretical biology. National Institute for Advisory NIBB and four other national institutes, the National Fusion Science (NIFS) Committee Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), the National for Programming Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), the National Institute National Institute for for Physiological Sciences (NIPS), and the Institute for and Basic Biology (NIBB) Management Molecular Science (IMS), constitute the National Institutes Director General of Natural Sciences (NINS), which is one of the four Inter- YAMAMOTO, Masayuki University Research Institute Corporations. NIBB’s activities Vice-Director General are supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, UENO, Naoto Research Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. The Okazaki Enhancement Institute for Integrative Bioscience was established as a National Institute for Strategy common facility for the three institutes (NIBB, NIPS, and Physiological Sciences (NIPS) Office IMS) of the Okazaki campus. Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) Three Institutes in Okazaki Center for Novel Science Initiatives ■Brain Science ■Imaging Science Astrobiology Center Buildings in the Myodaiji area (left) and Yamate area (right). Okazaki Research Facilities Okazaki Institute for Policy, Decision Making, and Administration Integrative Bioscience (OIIB) The Director General oversees the operation of NIBB, Department of Biodesign Research ■Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology * assisted by the Advisory Committee for Programming ■Division of Behavioral Neurobiology** and Management. The Advisory Committee, comprised ■Division of Nuclear Dynamics of eleven professors within NIBB and ten leading biolo- ■Division of Plant Development and Physiology gists outside NIBB, advises the Director General on impor- Department of Bioorganization Research tant matters such as planning joint research programs as ■Division of Quantitative Biology*** well as on the scientific activities of NIBB. The Advisory ■Division of Neuronal Cell Biology **** Committee makes recommendations on the appointments of Divisions with researchers having concurrent positions in NIBB are shown above. Some divisions*-****) also function as NIBB’s research units†-†††) , respectively, new Directors General, faculty appointments, NIBB’s annual on the right panel. budget and future prospects. Center for Radioisotope Facilities The Research Enhancement Strategy Office, aimed at sup- porting researchers in order to improve NIBB’s abilities as Center for Experimental Animal a collaborative research institution, was restructured in 2013 from the former Strategic Planning Department, Office of Research Center for Computational Science Public Relations, and Office of International Cooperation. The Office is made up of six groups (p. 90) and its activi- Research Facilities run jointly by ties are mainly carried out by URAs (University Research NIBB and NIPS Administrators) in close collaboration with the NINS’s Research Enhancement Promotion Headquarters. Electron Microscopy Room Administration of NIBB is undertaken by the Okazaki Disposal of Waste Matter Facility Administration Office under the direct auspices of the Instrument Design Room Administration Office of NINS. 2 National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB) As of January 1, 2018 Research Units Cell Biology ■Division of Cellular Dynamics ■Division of Quantitative Biology††† ■Division of Chromatin Regulation ■Laboratory of Cell Responses ■Laboratory of Neuronal Cell Biology†††† ■Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology ■Division of Morphogenesis Developmental Biology ■Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology † ■Division of Embryology ■Division of Germ Cell Biology Neurobiology ■Division of Molecular Neurobiology ■Division of Behavioral Neurobiology†† ■Laboratory of Neurophysiology ■Evaluation and Information Group ■Public Relations Group ■Division of Evolutionary Biology ■International Cooperation Group Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity ■Division of Symbiotic Systems ■Collaborative Research Group ■Division of Evolutionary Developmental ■Young Researcher Support Group Biology ■Gender Equality Promotion Group ■Laboratory of Bioresources ■Laboratory of Morphodiversity ■Laboratory of Biological Diversity ■Division of Environmental Photobiology Environmental Biology ■Division of Seasonal Biology (Adjunct) ■Laboratory of Genome Informatics Theoretical Biology Imaging Science ■Laboratory for Spatiotemporal Regulations Research Support Facilities ■Functional Genomics Facility NIBB Core Research Facilities ■Spectrography and Bioimaging Facility ■Data Integration and Analysis Facility NIBB BioResource Center ■Model Animal Research Facility ■Model Plant Research Facility ■Cell Biology Research Facility NIBB Center of the Interuniversity Bio-Backup Project (IBBP Center) NIBB Center for Model Organism Development Technical Division Section of Health and Safety Management Okazaki Administration Office 3 Research and Research Support ■ Members in NIBB NIBB’s research programs are conducted in research units Director General 1 and research support units. Each research unit is called either Professors a division, led by a professor, or a laboratory, led by an (including adjunct, specially appointed, concurrent) 15 Associate Professors associate professor or an assistant professor. Each research Technical (including sp. app.) 17 Assistants unit forms an independent project team. The NIBB Core and Research Facilities and NIBB BioResource Center were Secretaries 36 110 Assistant Professors launched in 2010 to support research in NIBB and also to (including sp. app.) act as an intellectual hub to promote collaboration among the researchers of NIBB and other institutions. The NIBB Center 60 Postdoctoral Fellows (12 are NIBB Research Fellows) of the Inter-University Bio-Backup Project (IBBP Center) 25 was founded in 2012 to prevent loss of invaluable biological 58 Technical Stuff resources. Projects for the development of bioresource pres- Graduate Students 322 in total ervation technology are solicited by the IBBP center from (3 are undergraduates) (as of 1st January, 2018) 2013. The NIBB Center for Model Organism Development was founded in 2013 to promote development of new model organisms and research using them. The Technical Division ■