Date: 21 August 2026 (Friday)
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, G/F, William M.W. Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road 
Host: Professor Jeff Ti

Yuta Shimamoto is an Associate Professor at Japan’s National Institute of Genetics, where he studies the biophysical principles underlying nuclear organization and cell division. He earned his Ph.D. from Waseda University in 2007 and completed postdoctoral training at the Rockefeller University, investigating the micromechanics of mitotic spindle assembly (Cell, 2011; Dev Cell, 2015). Since establishing his laboratory in 2014, Dr. Shimamoto has focused his research on elucidating how physical properties of intracellular structures contribute to early embryogenesis. He is a recipient of the Young Scientists’ Prize from the MEXT of Japan.

In our pursuit to understand how subcellular physical properties influence genome dynamics and cell physiology, we recently discovered a striking alteration in the shape and mechanical properties of the embryonic nucleus in mice. This nuclear change, characterized by increased plasticity and softness, occurred transiently during the earliest cleavage stages, coinciding with a surge in zygotic transcription required for subsequent development. Our analysis further identified autophagic degradation of nuclear envelope components as a key mechanism underlying this mechanical transformation. Genetic perturbation using mutant lamins and biophysical manipulation using an engineered nuclear envelope tether showed that embryos with deformable nuclei successfully activate zygotic transcription and progress through early development, whereas those with stiff nuclei do not. Together, our study reveals that transient physical remodeling of the nucleus is integral to successful embryogenesis.

All are welcome.