Akiyoshi Fukamizu

Affiliation：Faulty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba

Research Title

Neuroscience

Biological Methylation and Transcription

MOONSHOT

MOONSHOT

01 Research Summary

Cellular homeostasis is regulated by a series of chemical reactions such as signals and metabolism in response to environmental stimuli. A variety of responses through the plasma membrane are integrated into the nucleus, where histones, transcription factors, ribosome proteins, and RNAs are modified by methylation that is catalyzed by enzymes, thereby controlling epigenome and gene expression. In my laboratory, we aim to understand the molecular mechanisms of lifespan and pregnancy-associated diseases by identifying new methyltransferases, and how nutritional and stress conditions regulate epigenomic functions, by using the genetic techniques with animal models such as Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and mice.

Link
深水研究室

02 Major achievements

Sha L, Daitoku H, Araoi S, Kaneko Y, Takahashi Y, Kako K, Fukamizu A. Asymmetric arginine dimethylation modulates mitochondrial energy metabolism and homeostasis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol. Cell. Biol. 2017 37 (6), pii: e00504-16. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00504-16.

Nezu M, Souma T, Yu L, Sekine H, Takahashi N, Wei AZ, Ito S, Fukamizu A, Zsengeller ZK, Nakamura T, Hozawa A, Karumanchi SA, Suzuki N, Yamamoto M. Nrf2 inactivation enhances placental angiogenesis in a preeclampsia mouse model and improves maternal and fetal outcomes. Science Signal. 2017 10 (479). pii: eaam5711. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.aam5711

Kim JD, Park KE, Ishida J, Kako K, Hamada J, Kani S, Takeuchi M, Namiki K, Fukui H, Fukuhara S, Hibi M, Kobayashi M, Kanaho Y, Kasuya Y, Mochizuki N, Fukamizu A. PRMT8 as a phospholipase regulates Purkinje cell dendritic arborization and motor coordination. Science Adv. 2015 1(11), e1500615. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1500615

03 Education/Academic background and major awards

Education/Academic background

1987 Research Associate at the Institute of Applied Biochemistry, Gene Experiment Center, University of Tsukuba.
1990 Assistant Professor at the Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba.
1995 Associate Professor at the Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba.
1999 Professor and Aspect Director, Aspect of Functional Genomic Biology, Center for Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, University of Tsukuba
2002 Program Leader in The 21st Century COE Program (Life Science), Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
2006 Director, Center for Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba
2010 Vice Director and Professor, Life Science Center, TARA, University of Tsukuba
2011 Program Leader in “Transcription and Metabolism” of the MEXT, Japan (〜2015)
2014 Principle Investigator of the NeXTEP in the JST, Japan.

awards

1993 Young Investigator’s Award from Japan Vascular Disease Research Foundation.
1993 Nikkei BP Award (Medical Science Aspect) from Nikkei Business Publication.
1996 Tsukuba Prize from Ibaraki Science and Technology Foundation.
1996 Young Investigator’s Award from the Japanese Society of Biochemistry.
1998 Jokichi Takamine Young Investigator’s Award from the Japanese Society of Cardiovascular and Endocrinological Metabolism.
2015 Jokichi Takamine Award from the Japanese Society of Cardiovascular and Endocrinological Metabolism.

Core Group

University of Tsukuba Collaborative Research Group

Administrative Department

Industry-academia collaboration

Administrative Department