Yuuki Obata, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Endowed Title: Nancy Cain and Jeffrey A. Marcus Scholar in Medical Research, in Honor of Dr. Bill S. Vowell
School: Medical School
Department: Immunology | Neuroscience
Graduate Programs: Immunology, Neuroscience

Biography

2021-Present: Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

2018-2021: Postdoctoral Fellow (HFSP Postdoctoral Fellow), The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK

2016-2017: Postdoctoral Fellow (EMBO Long-Term Postdoctoral Fellow), The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK

2015-2016: Postdoctoral Fellow (JSPS Superlative Postdoctoral Fellow, SPD), The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan

2010-2015: Graduate student, RIKEN (Joint Graduate School of Chiba University), Japan

Research Interest

Chronoception
Interoception
Neuroimmunology
Neuromicrobiology

Publications

Featured Publications

Interaction between the gut microbiota and colonic enteroendocrine cells regulates host metabolism.: Tan S, Santolaya JL, Wright TF, Liu Q, Fujikawa T, Chi S, Bergstrom CP, Lopez A, Chen Q, Vale G, McDonald JG, Schmidt A, Vo N, Kim J, Baniasadi H, Li L, Zhu G, He TC, Zhan X, Obata Y, Jin A, Jia D, Elmquist JK, Sifuentes-Dominguez L, Burstein E, Nat Metab 2024 May
Macrophages regulate gastrointestinal motility through complement component 1q.: Pendse M, De Selle H, Vo N, Quinn G, Dende C, Li Y, Salinas CN, Srinivasan T, Propheter DC, Crofts AA, Koo E, Hassell B, Ruhn KA, Raj P, Obata Y, Hooper LV, Elife 2023 Apr 12
Gut microbiota depletion minimally affects the daily voluntary wheel running activity and food anticipatory activity in female and male C57BL/6J mice.: Ehichioya DE, Taufique SKT, Magaña I, Farah S, Obata Y, Yamazaki S, Front Physiol 2023 14 1299474
Molecular profiling of enteric nervous system cell lineages.: Obata Y, Castaño Á, Fallesen TL, Bon-Frauches AC, Boeing S, Huseynova A, McCallum S, Lasrado R, Heanue TA, Pachnis V, Nat Protoc 2022 Jun
Neuronal programming by microbiota regulates intestinal physiology.: Obata Y, Castaño Á, Boeing S, Bon-Frauches AC, Fung C, Fallesen T, de Agüero MG, Yilmaz B, Lopes R, Huseynova A, Horswell S, Maradana MR, Boesmans W, Vanden Berghe P, Murray AJ, Stockinger B, Macpherson AJ, Pachnis V, Nature 2020 02 578 7794 284-289
The Effect of Microbiota and the Immune System on the Development and Organization of the Enteric Nervous System.: Obata Y, Pachnis V, Gastroenterology 2016 11 151 5 836-844
The epigenetic regulator Uhrf1 facilitates the proliferation and maturation of colonic regulatory T cells.: Obata Y, Furusawa Y, Endo TA, Sharif J, Takahashi D, Atarashi K, Nakayama M, Onawa S, Fujimura Y, Takahashi M, Ikawa T, Otsubo T, Kawamura YI, Dohi T, Tajima S, Masumoto H, Ohara O, Honda K, Hori S, Ohno H, Koseki H, Hase K, Nat Immunol 2014 Jun 15 6 571-9
Commensal microbe-derived butyrate induces the differentiation of colonic regulatory T cells.: Furusawa Y, Obata Y, Fukuda S, Endo TA, Nakato G, Takahashi D, Nakanishi Y, Uetake C, Kato K, Kato T, Takahashi M, Fukuda NN, Murakami S, Miyauchi E, Hino S, Atarashi K, Onawa S, Fujimura Y, Lockett T, Clarke JM, Topping DL, Tomita M, Hori S, Ohara O, Morita T, Koseki H, Kikuchi J, Honda K, Hase K, Ohno H, Nature 2013 Dec 504 7480 446-50
Symbiotic polyamine metabolism regulates epithelial proliferation and macrophage differentiation in the colon.: Nakamura A, Kurihara S, Takahashi D, Ohashi W, Nakamura Y, Kimura S, Onuki M, Kume A, Sasazawa Y, Furusawa Y, Obata Y, Fukuda S, Saiki S, Matsumoto M, Hase K, Nat Commun 2021 04 12 1 2105
Enteric glia as a source of neural progenitors in adult zebrafish.: McCallum S, Obata Y, Fourli E, Boeing S, Peddie CJ, Xu Q, Horswell S, Kelsh RN, Collinson L, Wilkinson D, Pin C, Pachnis V, Heanue TA, Elife 2020 08 9

Honors & Awards

The Young Scientists' Award by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan
(2024)
Pew Biomedical Scholars
(2023)
Welch Research Grants
(2023)
UT Southwestern Endowed Scholar
(2021)
HFSP Long-Term Fellowship
(2017-2020)
EMBO Long-Term Fellowship
(2016-2017)
Inoue Research Award for Young Scientists
Inoue Foundation for Science (2016)
Ikushi Prize
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (2015)
Superlative Postdoctoral Fellow (SPD)
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (2015-2016)