Kota Mizumoto, University of British Columbia

Research

C. Elegans Synapse Genetics Pattern Formation Active Zone Neurodevelopment Gap Junction Neuron

Latest papers

LIN-44/Wnt controls developmental neurite pruning via UNC-43/CaMKII and PKC-2/PKC in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026 · senior author
A modular system to label endogenous presynaptic proteins using split fluorophores in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Genetics · 2025 · senior author
Comparison among bright green fluorescent proteins in C. elegans.
microPublication biology · 2025 · senior author

All 15 publications

Latest funding

Elucidating the novel role of Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in presynaptic assembly
CIHR · 2023 · Nominated PI
$688,500
Elucidating the novel role of Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in presynaptic assembly
CIHR · 2023 · Nominated PI
$100,000
Defining the novel functions of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in synapse assembly and understanding the synaptic consequences of disease-associated CaMKII variants using Caenorhabditis elegans.
CIHR · 2022 · Supervisor
$105,000

All 13 grants and awards

15 publications.

01

LIN-44/Wnt controls developmental neurite pruning via UNC-43/CaMKII and PKC-2/PKC in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Lu M, Lin JSH, Kurashina M, Mizumoto K

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2619924123 PMID: 42771511

02

A modular system to label endogenous presynaptic proteins using split fluorophores in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Kurashina M, Snow AW, Mizumoto K

Genetics2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae214 PMID: 39708832

03

Comparison among bright green fluorescent proteins in C. elegans.

Ko S, Mizumoto K

microPublication biology2025Senior author

DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001447 PMID: 39897165

04

Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Motor Circuit Development.

Kratsios P, Zampieri N, Carrillo R, Mizumoto K, Sweeney LB, Philippidou P

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience2024

DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1238-24.2024 PMID: 39358025

05

Targeting endogenous proteins for spatial and temporal knockdown using auxin-inducible degron in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Kurashina M, Mizumoto K

STAR protocols2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.102028 PMID: 36640369

06

Synaptogenesis: unmasking molecular mechanisms using Caenorhabditis elegans.

Mizumoto K, Jin Y, Bessereau JL

Genetics2023First author

DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac176 PMID: 36630525

07

Channel-independent function of UNC-9/Innexin in spatial arrangement of GABAergic synapses in C. elegans.

Hendi A, Niu LG, Snow AW, Ikegami R, Wang ZW, Mizumoto K

eLife2022Senior author

DOI: 10.7554/elife.80555 PMID: 36378164

08

Sustained expression of unc-4 homeobox gene and unc-37/Groucho in postmitotic neurons specifies the spatial organization of the cholinergic synapses in C. elegans.

Kurashina M, Wang J, Lin J, Lee KK, Johal A, Mizumoto K

eLife2021Senior author

DOI: 10.7554/elife.66011 PMID: 34388088

09

Systematic phenomics analysis of autism-associated genes reveals parallel networks underlying reversible impairments in habituation.

McDiarmid TA, Belmadani M, Liang J, Meili F, Mathews EA, Mullen GP, Hendi A, Wong WR, Rand JB, Mizumoto K, Haas K, Pavlidis P, Rankin CH

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2020

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1912049116 PMID: 31754030

10

Gradient-independent Wnt signaling instructs asymmetric neurite pruning in C. elegans.

Lu M, Mizumoto K

eLife2019Senior author

DOI: 10.7554/elife.50583 PMID: 31804181

Elucidating the novel role of Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in presynaptic assembly

Nominated PICIHR2023Project Grant

Principal investigators: Mizumoto, Kota

Keywords: Active Zone; C. Elegans; Camkii; Genetics; Neurodevelopment; Synapse; Synaptic Vesicles

$688,500

Elucidating the novel role of Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in presynaptic assembly

Nominated PICIHR2023Operating Grant - PA: Genetics (Bridge Funding: Research Priorities)

Principal investigators: Mizumoto, Kota

Keywords: Active Zone; C. Elegans; Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii; Genetics; Neurodevelopment; Synapse

$100,000

Defining the novel functions of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in synapse assembly and understanding the synaptic consequences of disease-associated CaMKII variants using Caenorhabditis elegans.

SupervisorCIHR2022Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Principal investigators: Kurashina, Mizuki

Keywords: Alzheimer'S Disease; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Calcium Calmodulin Dependent Protein Kinase Ii; Confocal Microscopy; Crispr/Cas9; Neurodevelopment; Optogenetics; Single Molecule Localization Microscopy; Synapse Formation; Synaptogenesis

$105,000

Elucidating the mechanisms of gradient dependent and independent Wnt signaling in neuronal development

Principal investigatorNSERC2021Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Mizumoto, Kota

$144,000

Elucidating the novel roles of gap junction and Zonula occludens (ZO) proteins as regulators of synapse number and position

Nominated PICIHR2021Project Grant

Principal investigators: Mizumoto, Kota

Keywords: C. Elegans; Development; Gap Junction; Innexin; Neuron; Pannexin; Pattern Formation; Synapse

$665,550

Elucidating the novel roles of a gap junction protein in the spatial arrangement of synapses

Nominated PICIHR2020Operating Grant - PA: Genetics (Bridge Funding: Research Priorities)

Principal investigators: Mizumoto, Kota

Keywords: C. Elegans; Developmental Biology; Gap Junction; Genetics; Neuron; Pattern Formation; Synapse

$100,000

Developmental Neurobiology

Principal investigatorNSERC2019Canada Research Chairs

Principal investigators: Mizumoto, Kota

$25,000

Developmental Neurobiology

Principal investigatorNSERC2019Canada Research Chairs

Principal investigators: Mizumoto, Kota

$100,000

Developmental Neurobiology

Principal investigatorNSERC2019Canada Research Chairs

Principal investigators: Mizumoto, Kota

$375,000

Dissecting the molecular mechanisms of Semaphorin/Plexin signaling in synapse map formation

Nominated PICIHR2016Project Grant

Principal investigators: Mizumoto, Kota

Keywords: Axon; C. Elegans; Cell-Cell Interaction; Developmental Neurobiology; Genetics; Pattern Formation; Plexin; Semaphorin; Small Gtpase; Synapse

$657,471

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Zoology
Cellular and Physiological Sciences
Psychiatry

Co-authors at University of British Columbia, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Paul Pavlidis

Psychiatry

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Kurt Haas

Cellular and Physiological Sciences

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2023

Subject: Prospective PhD student: C. Elegans Dear Professor Mizumoto, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "LIN-44/Wnt controls developmental neurite pruning via UNC-43/CaMKII and PKC-2/PKC in Caenorhabditis elegans." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Elucidating the novel role of Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in presynaptic assembly" (2023), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]