We are recruiting graduate students, postdocs, and an assistant professor at Kyoto University!

Yu Yamada has completed her PhD and left the lab to begin a postdoctoral position in the Miyamichi Lab at RIKEN BDR. Congratulations and we look forward to her next scientific endeavors!
March 31, 2026

Our new paper is out in Current Biology. We report the identification of hindbrain neurons that are required for water consumption and discrimination.
March 24, 2026
Yamada, Nomura, Suematsu, Taruno. Curr Biol 2026.

Taruno was awarded the JSPS Prize.
February 3, 2026

January 1, 2026
Our new laboratory has officially opened at the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University.
Please feel free to contact us if you want to join our team!
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Mami Kaneko joined the lab.
May 1, 2025
Welcome!
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Our paper on airway protective chemoreflexes is out in Cell. We report the identification of chemosensory end organs for coughing and swallowing.
April 4, 2025
Soma, Hayatsu, Nomura, Sherwood, Murakami et al. Cell 2025
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Oct 18, 2024
Dr. Kouki Tokuhara visited the lab
(Postdoctoral Fellow, David Julius lab, Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco)
Title: Crypt and Villus Enterochromaffin Cells are Distinct Stress Sensors in the Gut
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We joined ISOT2024 in beautiful Reykjavik
June 22-25, 2024
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Naofumi Suematsu joined the lab.
April 1, 2024
Welcome!
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A commentary on Ammonium Taste is out
December 8, 2023
Taruno. Trends Neurosci - 2023
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Kokoro Inoue, Hiroko Okuda, and Rie Kato joined the lab.
April 1, 2023
Welcome!
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Our review paper on salt taste is out.
November 4, 2022
Taruno and Gordon. Annual Review of Physiology - 2022
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Akiyuki Taruno received Mid-career Investigator Award of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences (U.S.A.)
April 20, 2022
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Akiyuki Taruno awarded JST CREST funding for the study of peripheral and central mechanisms of taste
Sep 21, 2021
Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology
 
Mark Sherwood joined the lab
September 1, 2021
Welcome!
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Akiyuki Taruno chosen as one of the 2021 recipients of The Young Scientists' Award: The commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology - Japan.
April 6, 2021

Yu Yamada and Takanori Aoki joined the lab
April 1, 2021
Welcome!

We report post-translational regulation of the CALHM1/3 channel by N-glycosylation and S-palmitoylation, providing insights into the fine control of associated physiological processes including gustation.
March 31, 2021
Okui, Murakami et al. FASEB Journal 2021

Akiyuki Taruno chosen as one of JST FOREST researchers
Feb 2, 2021
Fusion Oriented Research for disruptive Science and Technology
 
Kengo Nomura chosen as one of JST ACT-X researchers
October 20, 2020

Our review paper on taste transduction and channel synapses is out.
September 17, 2020
Taruno et al. Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology - 2020
To transmit taste information from taste bud cells to afferent neurons, all taste qualities excluding sour employ the unique "channel synapses" which involves CALHM1/3 channels for neurotransmitter release instead of synaptic vesicles. This review summarizes the current view of taste transduction and neurotransmission with emphasis on our recent discoveries on channel synapses and salty taste.
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We joined the fantastic virtual ISOT2020
August 5, 2020
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We report the structures of CALHM channels (killifish CALHM1, human CALHM2 and C.elegans CLHM-1). The findings provide insights into the structure and ATP permeation of the neurotransmitter-release channel in taste cells. A wonderful collaboration with Nureki Lab (Tokyo U.)
July 17, 2020
Demura et al. Science Advances 2020
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Our paper on salty taste is out. We report the identity of taste cells dedicated to the sodium-selective, attractive component of salty taste (aka sodium cells) and their intracellular signal transduction.
March 30, 2020
Nomura et al. Neuron 2020
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Dr. Shogo Soma joined the lab
July 1, 2019
Welcome!
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Dr. Nomura and Mr. Murakami joined the lab
April 1, 2019
Welcome!
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Taruno Lab started!
September 1, 2018​​