Bivalves have the various potential as research animals for both aquaculture and basic animal science fields. They are not only environmentally sustainable sea foods but also suitable research models in molluskan reproductive biology with the secrets of their diverse evolution. My research interests are to understand the molecular mechanism of reproductive physiology in bivalves and to develop the genetic engineering techniques in bivalve species. I aim to contribute the knowledge for the bloodstock management in the bivalve seed production in aquaculture.

My ongoing research projects are as follows:

1) Molecular analyses for the mechanism of sex differentiation and germline stem cells in bivalves.

2) Development of gene introduction and genome editing methods using microinjection and electroporation techniques for bivalve eggs.

3) Elucidation of hematopoiesis and cell differentiation mechanisms of bivalve hemocytes using single-cell RNA-Seq analysis.

4) Identification of sex-determining genes in bivalves by genome-wide association studies.

5) Study of tissue regeneration with reprograming using tissue graft technique.

Key words: Scallop, germline stem cells, sex differentiation, gene modification, GWAS, Single-cell RNA-Seq, cell transplantation

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kazue-Nagasawa