Quantitative biology of adaptive cellular behavior
Cells are highly sophisticated information-processing systems that operate in an ever-changing environment. They sense environmental signals using sensor molecules that typically reside on the cell membrane, process this sensory information inside the membrane, and then alter their behavior to respond to those signals and execute biological tasks. Thus, cells have autonomous and adaptive properties that engineers struggle to implement, for example in self-driving cars. Our laboratory seeks to understand the principles underlying adaptive cell behavior, using microbes such as bacteria as model systems.
The cellular "computers" that sense and process environmental information comprise a web of chemical reactions. However, unlike human-engineered computing systems, the nature of cellular information processing remains elusive. For instance, what kinds of information processing do cells undertake? How do functional computational properties emerge from noisy and apparently unreliable chemical reactions? Why (and how) has a specific chemical reaction network evolved to exert a particular biological task? We are addressing these fundamental questions by deploying approaches from various scientific fields, such as molecular biology, microscopy, engineering, theoretical physics, information theory, and data science.
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- Principal Investigator, 2022-present, PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency
- Associate Research Scientist, 2019-2022, Yale University
- PDF, 2017-2019, Yale University
- PDF, 2013-2017, AMOLF Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Ph.D., 2013, Dept. Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo
- MS, 2010, Dept. Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo
- BS, 2008, Dept. Physics, University of Tokyo
- Moore*, J.P., Kamino*, K., Kottou, R., Shimizu, T.S., & Emonet, T.(2023). Sensory diversity and precise adaptation enable independent bet-hedging strategies for multiple signals at the same time. bioRxiv, 2023-02. (*Equal contribution)
- Kamino*, K., Kadakia, N., Aoki, K., Shimizu, T. S., & Emonet*, T. (2023). Optimal inference of molecular interactions in live FRET imaging. PNAS (*Corresponding authors)
- Mattingly*, H.H., Kamino*, K., Machta, B.B., & Emonet, T. (2021). Escherichia coli chemotaxis is information limited. Nature Physics, 17(12), 1426-1431. (*Equal contribution)
- Kamino, K., Keegstra, J.M., Long, J., Emonet, T., & Shimizu, T.S. (2020). Adaptive tuning of cell sensory diversity without changes in gene expression. Science Advances, 6(46), eabc1087.
- Kamino*, K., Kondo, Y., Nakajima, A., Honda-Kitahara, M., Kaneko, K., & Sawai*, S. (2017). Fold-change detection and scale invariance of cell-cell singling in social amoeba. PNAS, 114: E4149-E4157. (*Corresponding authors)
- Keegstra, J.M., Kamino, K., Anquez, F., Lazova, M.D., Emonet, T., & Shimizu, T.S. (2017). Phenotypic diversity and temporal variability in a bacterial signaling network revealed by single-cell FRET. eLife, 6: e27455.
- Kamino*, K. & Kondo*, Y. (2016). Rescaling of spatio-temporal sensing in eukaryotic chemotaxis. PLoS One, 11(10): e0164674. (*Corresponding authors)
We are looking for postdocs, graduate students and research assistants with expertise in biology, physics, mathematics, or engineering. Opportunities span experimental, computational, and theoretical projects centered around quantitative micro- and cell-biology. Although research topics are flexible, potential areas of exploration include live-cell imaging of individual and collective cellular behaviors (potentially involving strain construction), information-theoretic analyses of cell signaling, image and time-series analyses using advanced statistical techniques including machine learning, and the development of pioneering measurement tools in microscopy and microfluidics. The positions are backed by the stable core funding available at our institute and other international and Taiwanese grants. Multiple fellowship opportunities are available. Applications will be evaluated on an ongoing basis until all positions are filled. The start date is flexible.
Our team is diverse and international. We actively seek applicants who can contribute to an inclusive group culture. An interdisciplinary ethos is at the heart of our lab, facilitating close interaction between individuals from varied backgrounds and fostering the generation of innovative ideas.
Interested candidates are encouraged to email Keita, attaching their CV, a concise outline of their scientific interests, and the contact information of two references.
For those who are currently outside Taiwan and thinking of applying to the graduate program in Taiwan, we recommend checking out the Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP), which is an all-English program. The Kamino lab is affiliated with Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) program and Nano Science and Technology (Nano) program.
