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Field

Integrative Life Sciences :
Cooperative faculties

Research

JAPANESE
Associate Professor NIWA Shinsuke
Campus Aobayama campus
Laboratory Neuronal Cell Biology
Tel +81-22-796-4734
E-mail shinsuke.niwa.c8＠tohoku.ac.jp
Website https://www.fris.tohoku.ac.jp/~niwa/
Google Scholar
 
Originally from Sapporo, Hokkaido. My research journey has taken me through Tokyo, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Sendai. Although the location, model organisms, and techniques have changed over time, my focus has consistently been on studying the cytoskeleton and motor proteins, and going fishing.
Career
2001    BSc,  Department of Biology, School of Science, University of Tokyo. Supervised by Dr. Ritsu Kamiya
2007    PhD,  Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Tokyo. Supervised by Dr. Nobutaka Hirokawa
2007 - 2012     Postdoc, University of Tokyo.  Supervised by Dr. Nobutaka Hirokawa
2012 - 2015      Research Associate, Stanford University. Supervised by Dr. Kang Shen
2016 - 2019      Assistant Professor, FRIS, Tohoku University
2019 - Current    Associate Professor, FRIS, Tohoku University
 
Selected Publications
Naher, S., K. Iemura, S. Miyashita, M. Hoshino, K. Tanaka, S. Niwa, J.-W. Tsai, T. Kikkawa, and N. Osumi. 2025. Kinesin-like motor protein KIF23 maintains neural stem and progenitor cell pools in the developing cortex. The EMBO Journal. 44:331-355.
Kita, T., R. Sugie, Y. Suzuki, and S. Niwa. 2025. Modular photostable fluorescent DNA blocks dissect the effects of pathogenic mutant kinesin on collective transport. Cell Reports Physical Science. 6: 102440
Kita, T., K. Sasaki, and S. Niwa. 2025. Biased movement of monomeric kinesin-3 KLP-6 explained by a symmetric Brownian ratchet model. Biophysical Journal. 124:205-214.
Niwa, S., T. Watanabe, and K. Chiba. 2024. The FHA domain is essential for autoinhibition of KIF1A/UNC-104 proteins. Journal of Cell Science. 137.
Kita, T., K. Chiba, J. Wang, A. Nakagawa, and S. Niwa. 2024. Comparative analysis of two Caenorhabditis elegans kinesins KLP-6 and UNC-104 reveals a common and distinct activation mechanism in kinesin-3. Elife. 12:RP89040.
Iguchi, R., T. Kita, T. Watanabe, K. Chiba, and S. Niwa. 2024. Characterizing human KIF1Bβ motor activity by single-molecule motility assays and Caenorhabditis elegans genetics. Journal of Cell Science. 137.
Guo, X., C.H. Huang, T. Akagi, S. Niwa, R.J. McKenney, J.-R. Wang, Y.-R.J. Lee, and B. Liu. 2024. An Arabidopsis Kinesin-14D motor is associated with midzone microtubules for spindle morphogenesis. Current Biology. 34:3747-3762. e3746.
Chiba, K., and S. Niwa. 2024. Autoinhibition and activation of kinesin-1 and their involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Current Opinion in Cell Biology. 86:102301.
Niwa, S., and K. Chiba. 2023. Generation of recombinant and chickenized scFv versions of an anti‐kinesin monoclonal antibody H2. Cytoskeleton. 80:356-366.
Kita, T., K. Sasaki, and S. Niwa. 2023. Modeling the motion of disease-associated KIF1A heterodimers. Biophysical Journal. 122:4348-4359.
Higashida, M., and S. Niwa. 2023. Dynein intermediate chains DYCI‐1 and WDR‐60 have specific functions in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genes to Cells. 28:97-110.
Chiba, K., T. Kita, Y. Anazawa, and S. Niwa. 2023. Insight into the regulation of axonal transport from the study of KIF1A-associated neurological disorder. Journal of Cell Science. 136:jcs260742.
Taguchi, S., J. Nakano, T. Imasaki, T. Kita, Y. Saijo-Hamano, N. Sakai, H. Shigematsu, H. Okuma, T. Shimizu, and E. Nitta. 2022. Structural model of microtubule dynamics inhibition by kinesin-4 from the crystal structure of KLP-12–tubulin complex. Elife. 11:e77877.
Nakano, J., K. Chiba, and S. Niwa. 2022. An ALS‐associated KIF5A mutant forms oligomers and aggregates and induces neuronal toxicity. Genes to Cells. 27:421-435.
Imasaki, T., S. Kikkawa, S. Niwa, Y. Saijo-Hamano, H. Shigematsu, K. Aoyama, K. Mitsuoka, T. Shimizu, M. Aoki, and A. Sakamoto. 2022. CAMSAP2 organizes a γ-tubulin-independent microtubule nucleation centre through phase separation. Elife. 11:e77365.
Chiba, K., K.M. Ori-McKenney, S. Niwa, and R.J. McKenney. 2022. Synergistic autoinhibition and activation mechanisms control kinesin-1 motor activity. Cell reports. 39.
Anazawa, Y., and S. Niwa. 2022. Analyzing the impact of gene mutations on axonal transport in Caenorhabditis elegans. In Axonal Transport: Methods and Protocols. Springer US New York, NY. 465-479.
Anazawa, Y., T. Kita, R. Iguchi, K. Hayashi, and S. Niwa. 2022. De novo mutations in KIF1A-associated neuronal disorder (KAND) dominant-negatively inhibit motor activity and axonal transport of synaptic vesicle precursors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119:e2113795119.
Takahashi, H., M. Kamiya, M. Kawatani, K. Umezawa, Y. Ukita, S. Niwa, T. Oda, and Y. Urano. 2021. Neural and behavioral control in Caenorhabditis elegans by a yellow-light–activatable caged compound. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 118:e2009634118.
Lam, A.J., L. Rao, Y. Anazawa, K. Okada, K. Chiba, M. Dacy, S. Niwa, A. Gennerich, D.W. Nowakowski, and R.J. McKenney. 2021. A highly conserved 310 helix within the kinesin motor domain is critical for kinesin function and human health. Science advances. 7:eabf1002.
Hayashi, K., M.G. Miyamoto, and S. Niwa. 2021. Effects of dynein inhibitor on the number of motor proteins transporting synaptic cargos. Biophysical Journal. 120:1605-1614.
Monroy, B.Y., T.C. Tan, J.M. Oclaman, J.S. Han, S. Simó, S. Niwa, D.W. Nowakowski, R.J. McKenney, and K.M. Ori-McKenney. 2020. A combinatorial MAP code dictates polarized microtubule transport. Developmental cell. 53:60-72. e64.
Chiba, K., H. Takahashi, M. Chen, H. Obinata, S. Arai, K. Hashimoto, T. Oda, R.J. McKenney, and S. Niwa. 2019. Disease-associated mutations hyperactivate KIF1A motility and anterograde axonal transport of synaptic vesicle precursors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116:18429-18434.
 
Activities in Academic Societies
American Society for Cell Biology, Japan Society for Cell Biology, The Molecular Biology Society of Japan, The Japanese Association of Anatomists

Recent Activities

Genetic variants in KIF1A, a molecular motor protein responsible for axonal transport of synaptic materials, are known to cause congenital neurodevelopmental disorders such as motor neuron diseases, autism, developmental disorders, and learning disabilities. Using genome editing, we generated disease model C. elegans and discovered that this disorder can be classified into two types: one in which KIF1A motor activity is reduced, leading to decreased axonal transport, and another in which KIF1A motor activity is enhanced, resulting in increased axonal transport (PNAS, 2019; PNAS, 2023). We also found that motor activity enhancement occurs in ALS caused by mutations in the KIF5A gene (Genes & Cells, 2023). Utilizing the latest biochemical technique, mass photometry, we revealed that when KIF1A activity is enhanced, its dimerization is promoted (eLife, 2024).
    To facilitate the in vitro reconstitution and easy observation of the coordinated movement of multiple motor proteins, we developed a method using DNA origami and named it FTOB (Cell Reports Physical Science, 2025).

Message to Students

If you’re interested, feel free to come and ask for more details. You’re always welcome.
Our research primarily focuses on analyzing the mechanisms of neuronal morphogenesis using C. elegans and mammals, as we have extensive experience and a rigid track record with these model organisms. However, looking toward the future, we are also working on projects using unicellular organisms to explore the evolutionary origins of axonal transport and to search for unique microtubules and molecular motor proteins with unusual properties.
 

Research