Biography

1998 Bachelor, University of Tokyo
2000 Master, University of Tokyo
2003 Ph. D., University of Tokyo
2003~2006 Postdoctoral fellow, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health,　Toronto, Canada
2006~2010 Postdoctoral fellow, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada
2010~2015 Assistant Professor, University of Tokyo
2015~ Assistant Professor, Saitama Medical University

RESEARCH

Amine neurotransmitters such as dopamine are important for regulation of behaviors and metabolism of animals. Disregulation of amine signaling is believed to cause many mental disorders, as the receptors for these neurotransmitters are the targets of many psychoactive drugs. I study the molecular and cellular mechanisms for amine neurotransmitter signaling using a model organism C. elegans.

A model organism C. elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans is a small free living nematode. Since C. elegans possesses many features suitable for basic research, it has been used as a model in various research fields, including developmental biology and neuroscience.

Neurotransmitter signaling in C. elegans
C. elegans exhibits complex behaviors including associative learning, even though its nervous system is very simple. C. elegans uses dopamine and other amines as neurotransmitters and we and others have shown that the signaling molecules are conserved between the worm and human. We have utilized a reporter system to monitor amine signaling and have been investigating the amine receptor function in C. elegans. Our goal is to further the understanding of the basic mechanisms for neurotransmitter signaling and reveal the molecular basis for mental disorders.

Selected publication

1. Suo, S., Sasagawa, N., and Ishiura, S. (2002) Identification of a dopamine receptor from Caenorhabditis elegans. Neurosci. Lett. 319, 13-16
2. Suo, S., Sasagawa, N., and Ishiura, S. (2003) Cloning and characterization of a Caenorhabditis elegans D2-like dopamine receptor. J. Neurochem. 86, 869-878
3. Suo, S., Ishiura, S., and Van Tol, H.H. (2004) Dopamine receptors in C. elegans. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 500, 159-166
4. Sugiura, M., Fuke, S., Suo, S., Sasagawa, N., Van Tol, H.H.M., and Ishiura, S. (2005) Characterization of a novel D2-like dopamine receptor with a truncated splice variant and a D1-like dopamine receptor unique to invertebrates from Caenorhabditis elegans. J Neurochem. 94, 1146-1157
5. Suo, S., Kimura, Y., and Van Tol, H.H.M. (2006) Starvation induces CREB-dependent gene expression through octopamine-Gq signalling in C. elegans. J. Neurosci. 26, 10082-10090
6. Suo, S., Culotti, J.G., and Van Tol, H.H.M. (2009) Dopamine counteracts octopamine signalling in a neural circuit mediating food response in C. elegans. EMBO J. 28, 2437-2448
7. Suo, S., and Ishiura, S. (2013) Dopamine modulates acetylcholine release via octopamine and CREB signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans. PloS One 8, e72578.
8. Yoshida, M., Oami, E., Wang, M., Ishiura, S. and Suo, S. (2014) Nonredundant function of two highly homologous octopamine receptors in food-deprivation-mediated signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans. J. Neurosci. Res. 92, 671–678.
9. Nagashima, T., Oami, E., Kutsuna, N., Ishiura, S., and Suo, S. (2016) Dopamine regulates body size in Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev. Biol. 412, 128-138