biology

Nobutaka Hirokawa

Nobutaka Hirokawa is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nobutaka Hirokawa rather than just read about it. In short: Nobutaka Hirokawa (廣川信隆, Hirokawa Nobutaka) (born March 25, 1946) is a Japanese neuroscientist and cell biologist famous for research on the kinesin superfamily of motor proteins. He has been President and Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Human Frontier Science Program since 2012.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Nobutaka Hirokawa (廣川信隆, Hirokawa Nobutaka) (born March 25, 1946) is a Japanese neuroscientist and cell biologist famous for research on the kinesin superfamily of motor proteins. He has been President and Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Human Frontier Science Program since 2012.

Contribution Hirokawa's work is mostly focused on the molecular mechanisms involved in transporting materials within nerve cells, in particular in his discovery of many of the functions of the Kinesin superfamily of molecular motors.

Biography Hirokawa was born in Yokosuka, Kanagawa and received his M.D. in 1971 and his Ph.D. in 1978 from The University of Tokyo in Japan; from 1979 to 1983 he served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, San Francisco and as a research Assistant professor and an associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis. On returning to Japan, he was appointed Professor and Chairman of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, where he served as the Dean from 2003 to 2007. He is now holds a Distinguished Project Professor at the same institution.

Publications Hirokawa published numerous papers include the following

Hirokawa, N. Cross-linker system between neurofilaments, microtubules, and membranous organelles in frog axons revealed by the quick-freeze, deep-etching method. Journal of Cell Biology 94(1): 129-142, 1982. Hirokawa, N., K.K. Pfister, H. Yorifuji, M.C. Wagner, S.T. Brady, and G.S. Bloom. Submolecular domains of bovine brain kinesin identified by electron microscopy and monoclonal antibody decoration. Cell 56(5): 867-878, 1989 Okada, Y., H. Yamazaki, Y. Sekine-Aizawa, and N. Hirokawa. The neuron-specific kinesin superfamily protein KIF1A is a unique monomeric motor for anterograde axonal transport of synaptic vesicle precursors. Cell 81(5): 769-780, 1995. Hirokawa, N. Kinesin and dynein superfamily proteins and the mechanism of organelle transport. Science 279(5350): 519-526, 1998. Nonaka, S., Y. Tanaka, Y. Okada, S. Takeda, A. Harada, Y. Kanai, M. Kido, and N. Hirokawa. Randomization of left-right asymmetry due to loss of nodal cilia generating leftward flow of extraembryonic fluid in mice lacking KIF3B motor protein. Cell 95(6): 829-837, 1998. Okada, Y., and N. Hirokawa. A Processive Single-Headed Motor: Kinesin Superfamily Protein KIF1A. Science 283: 1152–1157, 1999. Setou, M., T. Nakagawa, D.H. Seog, and N. Hirokawa. Kinesin superfamily motor protein KIF17 and mLin-10 in NMDA receptor-containing vesicle transport. Science 288(5472): 1796–1802, 2000. Kikkawa, M., E.P. Sablin, Y. Okada, H. Yajima, R.J. Fletterick, and N. Hirokawa. Switch-based mechanism of kinesin motors. Nature 411(6836): 439-445, 2001. Homma, N., Y. Takei, Y. Tanaka, T. Nakata, S. Terada, M. Kikkawa, Y. Noda, and N. Hirokawa. Kinesin superfamily protein 2A (KIF2A) functions in suppression of collateral branch extension. Cell 114: 229-239, 2003. Nitta, R., M. Kikkawa, Y. Okada, and N. Hirokawa. KIF1A alternately uses two loops to bind microtubules. Science 305: 678-683, 2004. Hirokawa, N. and R. Takemura. Molecular motors and mechanisms of directional transport in neurons. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 6: 201-214, 2005. Hirokawa, N., Y. Tanaka, Y. Okada and S. Takeda. Nodal flow and the generation of left-right asymmetry. (Review Article) Cell 125(1): 33-45, 2006. Midorikawa, R., Y. Takei, and N. Hirokawa. KIF4 motor regulates activity-dependent neuronal survival by suppressing PARP-1 enzymatic activity. Cell 125: 371-383, 2006

Honors and awards Hirokawa received several honors and awards include the following

Asahi Prize, Asahi Shimbun (1995) Japan Academy Prize, Japan Academy (1999) Foreign member, European Molecular Biology Organization (2003) Member, Japan Academy (2004) Person of Cultural Merit (2013) Eduard Buchner Prize, Germany (2005) Order of Culture (2024)

References

External links Hirokawa's Lab, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nobutaka Hirokawa

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nobutaka Hirokawa claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nobutaka Hirokawa before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nobutaka Hirokawa ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nobutaka Hirokawa

In research: Nobutaka Hirokawa appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nobutaka Hirokawa in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nobutaka Hirokawa is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1946 births, Academic staff of the University of Tokyo, Japanese cell biologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nobutaka Hirokawa outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nobutaka Hirokawa in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is Nobutaka Hirokawa in simple terms?

Why does Nobutaka Hirokawa matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nobutaka Hirokawa?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nobutaka Hirokawa.