Ikue Mori

Animals respond to ever-changing environments to ensure their survival and reproduction. To address how a behavior is generated and executed, we are elucidating molecular, cellular, neural and systemic mechanisms underlying learning, memory and decision-making. We are conducting comprehensive and interdisciplinary approaches using the nematode C. elegans as a model organism. Thermotaxis in C. elegans is a learning-based behavior and the execution of this behavior should require neural computations and systemic regulations. We are attempting to understand these neural computations and systemic regulations by identifying the functions of genes, component neurons, neuronal connections and non-neuronal tissues.

2023        Toray Science and Technology Prize

2017         Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon

2016         Chunichi Cultural Award

2013         The Kihara Prize

2013         Tokizane Award

2006         Inoue Prize for Science

2006         Saruhashi Award

1996-1999     Researcher of PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Corporation

1996         The Genetics Society of Japan Scientific Promotion Prize

1990-1991     Nissan Science Foundation Research fellowship, Brain Science Foundation Research fellowship

1982-1983     Scholarship for studying abroad, The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan

Peer-reviewed papers:

1. Higurashi S, Tsukada S, Aleogho BM, Park JH, Al-Hebri Y, Tanaka M, Nakano S, Mori I &*Noma K (2023). Bacteria diet affects the age-dependent decline of associative learning in Caenorhabditis elegans. eLife, May 30, 10.7554/eLife.81418

2. *Aoki I, Shiota M, Tsukada Y, Nakano S & *Mori I (2022). cGMP dynamics that underlies thermosensation in temperature-sensing neuron regulates thermotaxis behavior in C. elegans. PLoS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278343

3. Kano A, Matsuyama HJ, Nakano S & * Mori I (2022). AWC thermosensory neuron interferes with information processing in a compact circuit regulating temperature-evoked posture dynamics in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Neuroscience Research https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neures.2022.11.001

4. *Nakano S, Nakayama A, Kuroyanagi H, Yamashiro R, Tsukada Y & * Mori I (2022). Genetic screens identified dual roles of MAST kinase and CREB within a single thermosensory neuron in the regulation of C. elegans thermotaxis behavior.  G3 10.1093/g3journal/jkac248

5. Aoki I, Jurado P, Nawa K, Kondo R, Yamashiro R, Matsuyama HJ, Ferrer I, Nakano S & Mori I (2022). OLA-1, an Obg-like ATPase, integrates hunger with temperature information in sensory neurons in C. elegans. PLOS Genetics June 8, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010219

6. Huang TT, Matsuyama HJ, Tsukada Y, Singhvi A, Syu RT, Lu Y, Shaham S, *Mori I & *Pan CL (2020) “Age-dependent changes in response property and morphology of a thermosensory neuron and thermotaxis behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans” Aging Cell 19.

7. Matsuyama HJ & *Mori I (2020) “Neural Coding of Thermal Preferences in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans” eNeuro 7, ENEURO.0414-19.2020.

8. Nakano S, Ikeda M, Tsukada Y, Fei X, Suzuki T, Niino Y, Ahluwalia R, Sano A, Kondo R, Ihara K, Miyawaki A, Hashimoto K, Higashiyama T & *Mori I (2020) “Presynaptic MAST kinase controls opposing postsynaptic responses to convey stimulus valence in Caenorhabditis elegans” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 117, 1638–1647.

9. Ikeda M, Nakano S, Giles AC, Xu L, Costa WS, Gottschalk A & *Mori I (2020) “Context-dependent operation of neural circuits underlies a navigation behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 117, 6178–6188.

10. Tsukamoto S, Emmei T, Nakano S, Nishio N, Sasakura H & *Mori I (2020) “The Caenorhabditis elegans INX-4/Innexin is required for the fine-tuning of temperature orientation in thermotaxis behavior” Genes to Cells 25, 154–164.

11. Ikenaka K, Tsukada Y, Giles AC, Arai T, Nakadera Y, Nakano S, Kawai K, Mochizuki H, Katsuno M, Sobue G & *Mori I (2019) “A behavior-based drug screening system using a Caenorhabditis elegans model of motor neuron disease” Sci. Rep. 9.

12. An SWA, Choi ES, Hwang W, Son HG, Yang JS, Seo K, Nam HJ, Nguyen NTH, Kim EJE, Suh BK, Kim Y, Nakano S, Ryu Y, Man Ha C, Mori I, Park SK, Yoo JY, Kim S & *Lee SJ V. (2019) “KIN-4/MAST kinase promotes PTEN-mediated longevity of Caenorhabditis elegans via binding through a PDZ domain” Aging Cell 18.

13. Aoki I, Tateyama M, Shimomura T, Ihara K, Kubo Y, Nakano S & *Mori I (2018) “SLO potassium channels antagonize premature decision making in C. elegans” Commun. Biol. 1, 123.

14. Yamaguchi S, Naoki H, Ikeda M, Tsukada Y, Nakano S, Mori I & *Ishii S (2018) “Identification of animal behavioral strategies by inverse reinforcement learning” PLoS Comput. Biol. 14.

15. Sasakura H, Moribe H, Nakano M, Ikemoto K, Takeuchi K & *Mori I (2017) “Lifespan extension by peroxidase and dual oxidase-mediated ROS signaling through pyrroloquinoline quinone in C. elegans” J. Cell Sci. 130, 2631–2643.

16. Taniguchi A, Kimura Y, Mori I, Nonaka S & *Higashijima SI (2017) “Axially-confined in vivo single-cell labeling by primed conversion using blue and red lasers with conventional confocal microscopes” Dev. Growth Differ. 59, 741–748.

17. Kobayashi K, Nakano S, Amano M, Tsuboi D, Nishioka T, Ikeda S, Yokoyama G, Kaibuchi K & *Mori I (2016) “Single-Cell Memory Regulates a Neural Circuit for Sensory Behavior” Cell Rep. 14, 11–21.

18. Tsukada Y, Yamao M, Naoki H, Shimowada T, Ohnishi N, Kuhara A, Ishii S & *Mori I (2016) “Reconstruction of spatial thermal gradient encoded in thermosensory neuron AFD in Caenorhabditis elegans” J. Neurosci. 36, 2571–2581.

19. Yoshida A, Nakano S, Suzuki T, Ihara K, Higashiyama T & *Mori I (2016) “A glial K+/Cl-cotransporter modifies temperature-evoked dynamics in Caenorhabditis elegans sensory neurons” Genes, Brain Behav. 15, 429–440.

20. Yoshinari Y, Mori S, Igarashi R, Sugi T, Yokota H, Ikeda K, Sumiya H, Mori I, Tochio H, Harada Y & *Shirakawa M (2015) “Optically detected magnetic resonance of nanodiamonds in vivo; implementation of selective imaging and fast sampling” J. Nanosci. Nanotechnol. 15, 1014–1021.

21. Fujiwara M, Hino T, Miyamoto R, Inada H, Mori I, Koga M, Miyahara K, Ohshima Y & *Ishihara T (2015) “The importance of cGMP signaling in sensory cilia for body size regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans” Genetics 201, 1497–1510.

22. Ikenaka K, Kawai K, Katsuno M, Huang Z, Jiang YM, Iguchi Y, Kobayashi K, Kimata T, Waza M, Tanaka F, Mori I & *Sobue G (2013) “dnc-1/dynactin 1 Knockdown Disrupts Transport of Autophagosomes and Induces Motor Neuron Degeneration” PLoS One 8.

23. Ohnishi T, Tanizawa Y, Watanabe A, Nakamura T, Ohba H, Hirata H, Kaneda C, Iwayama Y, Arimoto T, Watanabe K, Mori I & *Yoshikawa T (2013) “Human myo-inositol monophosphatase 2 rescues the nematode thermotaxis mutant ttx-7 more efficiently than IMPA1: Functional and evolutionary considerations of the two mammalian myo-inositol monophosphatase genes” J. Neurochem. 124, 685–694.

24. Kimata T, Tanizawa Y, Can Y, Ikeda S, Kuhara A & *Mori I (2012) “Synaptic polarity depends on phosphatidylinositol signaling regulated by myo-inositol monophosphatase in Caenorhabditis elegans” Genetics 191, 509–521.

25. Igarashi R, Yoshinari Y, Yokota H, Sugi T, Sugihara F, Ikeda K, Sumiya H, Tsuji S, Mori I, Tochio H, Harada Y & *Shirakawa M (2012) “Real-time background-free selective imaging of fluorescent nanodiamonds in vivo” Nano Lett. 12, 5726–5732.

26. Nishio N, Mohri-Shiomi A, Nishida Y, Hiramatsu N, Kodama-Namba E, Kimura KD, Kuhara A & *Mori I (2012) “A novel and conserved protein AHO-3 is required for thermotactic plasticity associated with feeding states in Caenorhabditis elegans” Genes to Cells 17, 365–386.

27. Aoki R, Yagami T, Sasakura H, Ogura KI, Kajihara Y, Ibi M, Miyamae T, Nakamura F, Asakura T, Kanai Y, Misu Y, Iino Y, Ezcurra M, Schafer WR, Mori I & *Goshima Y (2011) “A seven-transmembrane receptor that mediates avoidance response to dihydrocaffeic acid, a water-soluble repellent in Caenorhabditis elegans” J. Neurosci. 31, 16603–16610.

28. Kuhara A, Ohnishi N, Shimowada T & *Mori I (2011) “Neural coding in a single sensory neuron controlling opposite seeking behaviours in Caenorhabditis elegans” Nat. Commun. 2, 355–359.

29. Miyara A, Ohta A, Okochi Y, Tsukada Y, Kuhara A & *Mori I (2011) “Novel and conserved protein macoilin is required for diverse neuronal functions in Caenorhabditis elegans” PLoS Genet. 7.

30. Nishida Y, Sugi T, Nonomura M & *Mori I (2011) “Identification of the AFD neuron as the site of action of the CREB protein in Caenorhabditis elegans thermotaxis” EMBO Rep. 12, 855–862.

31. Ohnishi N, Kuhara A, Nakamura F, Okochi Y & *Mori I (2011) “Bidirectional regulation of thermotaxis by glutamate transmissions in Caenorhabditis elegans” EMBO J. 30, 1376–1388.

32. Sugi T, Nishida Y & *Mori I (2011) “Regulation of behavioral plasticity by systemic temperature signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans” Nat. Neurosci. 14, 984–992.

33. Adachi T, Kunitomo H, Tomioka M, Ohno H, Okochi Y, Mori I & *Iino Y (2010) “Reversal of salt preference is directed by the insulin/PI3K and G q/PKC signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans” Genetics 186, 1309–1319.

34. Jurado P, Kodama E, Tanizawa Y & *Mori I (2010) “Distinct thermal migration behaviors in response to different thermal gradients in Caenorhabditis elegans” Genes, Brain Behav. 9, 120–127.

35. Liu J, Ward A, Gao J, Dong Y, Nishio N, Inada H, Kang L, Yu Y, Ma D, Xu T, Mori I, Xie Z & *Xu XZS (2010) “C. elegans phototransduction requires a G protein-dependent cGMP pathway and a taste receptor homolog” Nat. Neurosci. 13, 715–722.

36. Kuhara A, Okumura M, Kimata T, Tanizawa Y, Takano R, Kimura KD, Inada H, Matsumoto K & *Mori I (2008) “Temperature sensing by an olfactory neuron in a circuit controlling behavior of C. elegans” Science 320, 803–807.

37. Kodama E, Kuhara A, Mohri-Shiomi A, Kimura KD, Okumura M, Tomioka M, Iino Y & *Mori I (2006) “Insulin-like signaling and the neural circuit for integrative behavior in C. elegans” Genes Dev. 20, 2955–2960.

38. Inada H, Ito H, Satterlee J, Sengupta P, Matsumoto K & *Mori I (2006) “Identification of guanylyl cyclases that function in thermosensory neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans” Genetics 172, 2239–2252.

39. Ito H, Inada H & *Mori I (2006) “Quantitative analysis of thermotaxis in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans” J. Neurosci. Methods 154, 45–52.

40. Kuhara A & *Mori I (2006) “Molecular physiology of the neural circuit for calcineurin-dependent associative learning in Caenorhabditis elegans” J. Neurosci. 26, 9355–9364.

41. Tanizawa Y, Kuhara A, Inada H, Kodama E, Mizuno T & *Mori I (2006) “Inositol monophosphatase regulates localization of synaptic components and behavior in the mature nervous system of C. elegans” Genes Dev. 20, 3296–3310.

42. Mohri A, Kodama E, Kimura KD, Koike M, Mizuno T & *Mori I (2005) “Genetic control of temperature preference in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans” Genetics 169, 1437–1450.

43. Okochi Y, Kimura KD, Ohta A & *Mori I (2005) “Diverse regulation of sensory signaling by C. elegans nPKC-epsilon/eta TTX-4” EMBO J. 24, 2127–2137.

44. Sasakura H, Inada H, Kuhara A, Fusaoka E, Takemoto D, Takeuchi K & *Mori I (2005) “Maintenance of neuronal positions in organized ganglia by SAX-7, a Caenorhabditis elegans homologue of L1” EMBO J. 24, 1477–1488.

45. Kimura KD, Miyawaki A, Matsumoto K & *Mori I (2004) “The C. elegans Thermosensory Neuron AFD Responds to Warming” Curr. Biol. 14, 1291–1295.

46. Shimozono S, Fukano T, Kimura KD, Mori I, Kirino Y & *Miyawaki A (2004) “Slow Ca2+ dynamics in pharyngeal muscles in Caenorhabditis elegans during fast pumping” EMBO Rep. 5, 521–526.

47. Ishihara T, Iino Y, Mohri A, Mori I, Gengyo-Ando K, Mitani S & *Katsura I (2002) “HEN-1, a secretory protein with an LDL receptor motif, regulates sensory integration and learning in Caenorhabditis elegans” Cell 109, 639–649.

48. Kuhara A, Inada H, Katsura I & *Mori I (2002) “Negative regulation and gain control of sensory neurons by the C. elegans calcineurin TAX-6” Neuron 33, 751–763.

49. Gomez M, De Castro E, Guarin E, Sasakura H, Kuhara A, Mori I, Bartfai T, Bargmann CI & *Nef P (2001) “Ca2+ signaling via the neuronal calcium sensor-1 regulates associative learning and memory in C. elegans” Neuron 30, 241–248.

50. Satterlee JS, Sasakura H, Kuhara A, Berkeley M, Mori I & *Sengupta P (2001) “Specification of thermosensory neuron fate in C. elegans requires ttx-1, a homolog of otd/Otx” Neuron 31, 943–956.

51. Komatsu H, Jin YH, L’Etoile N, Mori I, Bargmann CI, Akaike N & *Ohshima Y (1999) “Functional reconstitution of a heteromeric cyclic nucleotide-gated channel of Caenorhabditis elegans in cultured cells” Brain Res. 821, 160–168.

52. Coburn CM, Mori I, Ohshima Y & *Bargmann CI (1998) “A cyclic nucleotide-gated channel inhibits sensory axon outgrowth in larval and adult Caenorhabditis elegans: A distinct pathway for maintenance of sensory axon structure” Development 125, 249–258.

53. Hobert O, Mori I, Yamashita Y, Honda H, Ohshima Y, Liu Y & *Ruvkun G (1997) “Regulation of interneuron function in the C. elegans thermoregulatory pathway by the ttx-3 LIM homeobox gene” Neuron 19, 345–357.

54. Komatsu H, Mori I, Rhee JS, Akaike N & *Ohshima Y (1996) “Mutations in a cyclic nucleotide-gated channel lead to abnormal thermosensation and chemosensation in C. elegans” Neuron 17, 707–718.

55. Mori I & *Ohshima Y (1995) “Neural regulation of thermotaxis in Caenorhabditis elegans” Nature 376, 344–348.

56. Ogura KI, Wicky C, Magnenat L, Tobler H, Mori I, Müller F & *Ohshima Y (1994) “Caenorhabditis elegans unc-51 gene required for axonal elongation encodes a novel serine/threonine kinase” Genes Dev. 8, 2389–2400.

57. Mori I, Moerman DG & *Waterston RH (1990) “Interstrain crosses enhance excision of Tc1 transposable elements in Caenorhabditis elegans” MGG Mol. Gen. Genet. 220, 251–255.

58. Mori I, Benian GM, Moerman DG & *Waterston RH (1988) “Transposable element Tc1 of Caenorhabditis elegans recognizes specific target sequences for integration” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 85, 861–864.

59. Mori I, Moerman DG & *Waterston RH (1988) “Analysis of a mutator activity necessary for germline transposition and excision of Tc1 transposable elements in Caenorhabditis elegans” Genetics 120, 397–407.

60. DeSalle R, Templeton A, Mori I, Pletscher S & *Johnston JS (1987) “Temporal and spatial heterogeneity of mtDNA polymorphisms in natural populations of Drosophila mercatorum” Genetics 116, 215–223.

61. Charlesworth B, Mori I & *Charlesworth D (1985) “Genetic variation in recombination in drosophila. Iii. regional effects on crossing over and effects on non-disjunction” Heredity (Edinb). 55, 209–221.