Our laboratory major research interest concerns larval biology of marine invertebrates, with emphasis on interaction between settling larvae and chemical cues released from marine surfaces. Since all the marine surfaces are covered by biofilms made of macromolcules and microbes, we have been analyzing microbial community dynamics (using the most advanced molecular tools) and chemical profiles of biofilms in order to characterize the effective chemical cues for larval settlement induction/inhibition. After obtaining effective compounds, we have been examining the effects of the compounds on changes in gene expression, protein expression (proteomics and phosphoproteomics) and transcriptomics during the larva-juvenile transition process. Another aspect of our research has been focusing on microbial metagenomics of unique marine habitats, such as deep sea brine pools as well as symbionts in marine corals and sponges.