Department of Cell Biology

Subjects:

1. The role of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor in development.
2. The mode of actions of membrane-anchored growth factors.
3. Ectodomain shedding mechanism of EGF family growth factor.
4. Physiological role of CD9 and the tetraspanin family proteins.
5. Epigenetics in germ cells: During germ cell differentiation, epigenetic information undergoes drastically changes. We are analyzing the molecular mechanisms of the DNA methylation, histone modifications and histone to protamine transition in spermatogenesis.
6. Transcriptional regulation of germ cell specific genes: During male germ cell development, each differentiation step requires the expression of a specific set of precisely regulated genes. We are characterizing specific transcription initiation and epigenetic modifications underlie the regulation of gene expression in germ cells.

Published Papers

1. The fusing ability of sperm is bestowed by CD9-containing vesicles released from eggs in mice.

   Kenji Miyado, Keiichi Yoshida, Kazuo Yamagata, Keiichi Sakakibara, Masaru Okabe, Xiaobiao Wang, Kiyoko Miyamoto, Hidenori Akutsu, Takahiko Kondo, Yuji Takahashi, Tadanobu Ban, Chizuru Ito, Kiyotaka Toshimori, Akihiro Nakamura, Masahiko Ito, Mami Miyado, Eisuke Mekada and Akihiro Umezawa

   Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 105 (35), 12921-12926, 2008.
2. Double deficiency of tetraspanins CD9 and CD81 alters cell motility and protease production of macrophages and causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-like phenotype in mice.

   Yoshito Takeda, Ping He, Isao Tachibana, Bo Zhou, Kenji Miyado, Hideshi Kaneko, Mayumi Suzuki, Seigo Minami, Takeo Iwasaki, Sho Goya, Takashi Kijima, Toru Kumagai, Mitsuhiro Yoshida, Tadashi Osaki, Toshihisa Komori, Eisuke Mekada and Ichiro Kawase

   J Biol Chem, 283 (38), 26089-26097, 2008.
3. HB-EGP.

   Eisuke Mekada and Ryo Iwamoto

   UCSD-Nature Molecule Pages, Published online, a002932, 2008.
4. Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor as a new target molecule for cancer therapy.

   Shingo Miyamoto, Hiroshi Yagi, Fusanori Yotsumoto, Tatsuhiko Kawarabayashi and Eisuke Mekada

   Adv Exp Med Biol, 622, 281-295, 2008.
5. ESE-1 inhibits the invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma in conjunction with MMP-9 suppression.

   S Iwai, S Amekawa, K Yomogida, T Sumi, M Nakazawa, Y Yura, Y Nishimune and M Nozaki

   Oral Dis, 14 (2), 144-149, 2008.
6. HB-EGF decelerates cell proliferation synergistically with TGFalpha in perinatal distal lung development.

   Seigo Minami, Ryo Iwamoto and Eisuke Mekada

   Dev Dyn, 237 (1), 247-258, 2008.
7. Validation of HB-EGF and amphiregulin as targets for human cancer therapy.

   Fusanori Yotsumoto, Hiroshi Yagi, Satoshi O Suzuki, Eiji Oki, Hiroshi Tsujioka, Touru Hachisuga, Kenzo Sonoda, Tatsuhiko Kawarabayashi, Eisuke Mekada and Shingo Miyamoto

   Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 365 (3), 555-561, 2008.
8. Possible involvement of CD81 in acrosome reaction of sperm in mice.

   Maya Tanigawa, Kiyoko Miyamoto, Satoshi Kobayashi, Masahiro Sato, Hidenori Akutsu, Masaru Okabe, Eisuke Mekada, Keiichi Sakakibara, Mami Miyado, Akihiro Umezawa and Kenji Miyado

   Mol Reprod Dev, 75 (1), 150-155, 2008.

Link

http://www.biken.osaka-u.ac.jp/