“The Determination to Compete on The World Stage”
"The Determination to Compete on The World Stage"
Sakurai, Takayuki
(Department of Genetics, School of Life Science)
The interviewee is Mr. Takayuki Sakurai. He entered the Department of Genetics to complete his doctoral program, and is now a senior in the five-year-doctoral-course program. While doing experiments at a laboratory from morning till midnight, he leads the Badminton Club of the Department of Genetics as a captain. He is such a capable person. This interview mainly focused on his study life.
Q: Why did you choose SOKENDAI？
A: I had studied primordial germ cells at the Tokyo University of Agriculture until completing my master's program. As I continued further research on my master's study, I came to want to study these cells from another viewpoint in my doctoral program. When I was searching for a scientist allowing me to conduct research on what I wanted to study, I found my current supervisor. The National Institute of Genetics functioning as the Department of Genetics organizes a free shuttle bus tour around May every year, and tour participants can enjoy free rides between Tokyo and the Institute.[1] When I joined the tour, I talked with my current supervisor face to face. He said to me that he was committed to not only doing his own study but also educating his students, and what is more, that he would allow me to study what I wanted to study. This is why I decided to enter my current laboratory.
Q: What points have you found good after entering SOKENDAI？
A: I have found two big good points after entering SOKENDAI. The first point is that SOKENDAI has lots of highly-motivated students and supervisors. In most of the departments of SOKENDAI, people do their actual studies at relevant institutes. I think this is why supervisors and students of SOKENDAI are even more motivated than those of other ordinary graduate schools. Discussions with such people give me completely new ideas that I had never thought of, or allow me to learn more about the latest trends of relevant fields. These experiences in turn expand my view of not only my own study field but also other study fields.
The other good point is that SOKENDAI provides great financial support systems/programs fitting various circumstances. One of them is the research assistant (RA) system. I suppose that this system varies depending on the department, but in the Department of Genetics, students can receive the amounts equivalent to their annual tuition fees as their salaries. In addition, SOKENDAI provides the Short-Stay Study Abroad Program, which gives certain amounts of grants for students so that they can temporarily do their studies at overseas institutes.[2] Moreover, even the Department of Genetics has its own grant system for those studying abroad or those attending international academic conferences. Under the system, those applicable are financially supported to cover their expenses. I think that such support systems will be very helpful for students having financial difficulties. SOKENDAI also gives the SOKENDAI President's Awards and the Nagakura's Research Incentive Awards[3] to students who accomplished outstanding study results. If you win one of these awards, you will be financially supported to cover your study expenses, etc. Even in this aspect, I feel that SOKENDAI gives me the impression that it has created an optimal environment that enables students to actively do their studies.
Q: The student quota of every department of SOKENDAI is limited. What do you think of it？
A: I think that the limited student quota is one of the advantages of SOKENDAI. For example, a smaller population of students allows supervisors to more closely instruct students.[4] In addition, because of the limited number of students per laboratory, most of us hang out with students of other laboratories or other grades for a change. When closely mingling with students of other laboratories, especially with those of other grades, we get excited over our studies, our friends' ones, relationships among members of our respective labs, and other topics. These occasions make pleasant changes.
Q: Please tell us about the details of your study.
A: Mouse primordial germ cells going on to become sperms and eggs are generated at the back of the embryo in about seven days after fertilization. Then, the primordial germ cells migrate towards the testes or the ovary while undergoing cell divisions. In the past, my laboratory identified Nanos3, a gene specifically generated in primordial germ cells during this migration period. Nanos are evolutionary-conserved RNA-binding proteins and have key roles in germ-cell survival in various species. Even in a mouse, Nanos are essential for the survival of germ cells. Because a Nanos3-null mouse embryo loses all of its germ cells during the migration period, an individual developing from the embryo becomes sterile.
However, what life phenomena Nanos3 causes in primordial germ cells and through what mechanism it contributes to the survival of those cells are still unknown. I would like to clearly identify what role this Nanos3 plays in the survival of primordial germ cells. It is believed that an extremely limited number of primordial germ cells existing during the migration period make it difficult to carry out biochemical analysis and genetic engineering that require large amounts of samples. Because of this, I am using an in-vitro cell culture method reported in recent years to do my study. In this method, primordial germ cell-like cells are derived from embryonic stem (ES) cells. Using primordial germ cells derived in this in-vitro cell culture method, I am currently doing exhaustive gene expression analyses in RNA-seq approaches and analyses of protein binding in immune precipitation and other approaches.
Q: What are you going to do in the future？
A: Until obtaining my Ph.D. degree, I will steadily do experiments at hand and collect lots of data to write my doctoral thesis. After obtaining my Ph.D. degree, I may go abroad to continue my study as a postdoctoral fellow. I would like to achieve great results overseas. Eventually, I would like to become a leading authority in my study field to let people say, "As for this field, he is the best person to answer questions." So long as I'm competing in my study field on the world stage, I will make up my mind to do so.
- After the Interview -
This time, I interviewed Mr. Sakurai at a lounge that his lab members use. Despite being a conversation room, there were a number of technical books, etc., even on desks and shelves. When I went out into the corridor, I saw lots of experimental tools and devices even there. This laboratory comprises 11 rooms including a supervisors' room, a reception room and experimental rooms. In other words, the entire space is by no means small. Nevertheless, they had no choice but to place tools and devices even in the corridor. That was surprising.
Inside the Mammalian Development Laboratory that Mr. Sakurai belongs to. The room is crowded with experimental tools and devices, reagent bottles, etc.
Mr. Sakurai was in a good mood when he was talking of his own study during the interview. It felt as if he is having so much fun in doing his study. People enjoyably do their studies with highly motivated supervisors and students at well-equipped facilities. I thought that such an environment was truly ideal for those aiming to become scientists. Once again, I felt that this is one of the benefits for SOKENDAI students being allowed to do their studies at national institutes.
Notes:
1) The National Institute of Genetics, which is a parent institute for the Department of Genetics, holds an explanatory meeting of graduate school courses around May every year. On the day when the explanatory meeting is held, a free shuttle bus runs between Tokyo Station and the Institute. During the journey to the Institute, graduate school students being engaged in their studies at the National Institute of Genetics tell participants about their studies and campus life. ( The National Institute of Genetics)
2) The Short-Stay Study Abroad Program is a program in which SOKENDAI provides financial support to cover travel expenses with the aim of giving students opportunities to learn highly specialized knowledge and international perspectives through doing their studies at overseas institutes. (The Short-Stay Study Abroad Program)
3) SOKENDAI not only commends excellent students but also gives them monetary incentives so that they can more actively do their studies.
(The Research Grant )
4) Some data show that, the number of supervisors per student in the Department of Genetics is more than three times those of other universities. (NIG－Small lab size)
Profile
Sakurai, Takayuki
Status: Department of Genetics, School of Life Science
Special Field: Germ cell biology
Graduated from the Department of Bioscience of the School of Applied Bioscience of the Tokyo University of Agriculture in March, 2010. Graduated from the Department of Bioscience of the Graduate School of Agriculture of the Tokyo University of Agriculture in March, 2012. Entered the doctoral course of the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in April, 2012.