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  • Faculty of Education
  • Faculty of Social and Information Studies
  • Faculty of Medicine
    - School of Medicine
    - School of Health Sciences
  • School of Science and Technology
  • Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation
  • Heavy Ion Medical Center
  • Gunma University Hospital

Hirochika Kitagawa Professor

Our laboratory is focusing on the nuclear events, especially on the epigenetic regulation in the transcription. As for the specific physiological conditions, we focus on the crosstalk between inflammatory regulation and energy metabolism. In other words, we are trying to describe a new picture for the chronic inflammatory status from the standpoint of nuclear regulation. To know more detail, please see our homepage (http://kakunai.dept.showa.gunma-u.ac.jp/kitagawa/ ) or contact our staffs.

Recently the convergence between inflammation and metabolism is one of the hot topics in the clinical medicine. The patients suffering from metabolic diseases such as metabolic syndrome or diabetes are increasing in number even in Japan. But the molecular mechanism, especially in the nucleus of the living cells, underlying these diseases is not well known.

We would like to decipher the unknown nuclear regulatory mode of the physiological and pathological conditions by biochemical approach and mouse genetics. To begin with, now we are dealing with two nuclear receptors, Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and Androgen receptor (AR). Glucocorticoid, the specific ligand for GR is a clinically applied anti-inflammatory agent and androgen, the specific ligand for AR is a sex hormone regulating male-specific physiology.

If you are interested in our research, please visit our homepage and come to talk with us about your future interest.

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Our research concepts

Deciphering the unknown epigenetic regulatory mode which defines the convergence between the inflammatory response and energy metabolism.

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Specific purposes

1) Identifying unknown epigenome-regulators which work as an inflammatory-responsible transcription factors which are also regulated by intra-cellular signaling related to energy metabolism.郢晢ｽｻ郢晢ｽｻigure 1郢晢ｽｻ郢晢ｽｻ

2) Discovering new drug targets for chronic- inflammation-related diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and auto-immune diseases. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms causing the chronic-inflammation might lead to the other inflammation-related diseases such as osteoporosis, neuro-degenerative disease, and cancer.郢晢ｽｻ郢晢ｽｻigure 2郢晢ｽｻ郢晢ｽｻ

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Our research projects

1. Molecular mechanism of anti-inflammatory function of Glucocorticoid mediated by Glucocorticoid receptor (GR)
2. Purification and identification of novel epigenome-regulators recruited by specific protein modifications of GR regulated by the inflammatory signaling and the status of energy metabolism in the cells
3. Deciphering a convergence between unknown intra-cellular signalings and steroid-stimulatory signalings ( by glucocorticoid and androgen)
4. Establishing a new strategy for metabolic syndrome-related atherosclerotic status related to sex-difference

Epigenome-Switch between energymetabolism and inflammatory-signaling	Strategy for serching new drug-targets

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STAFF

Professor :Hirochika Kitagawa
Associate Professor : Takashi Sato
Assistant Professor : Shun Sawatsubashi
Assistant Professor : Nobukatsu Morooka
Post-doctoral fellow : Yee Kar Lye Karen
Assistant Technician : Yuka Miyake
Assistant Technician : Kaoru Saida
Graduate Student : Kei Ueguri
Student : Yumi Kinoshita
Student : Satoshi Kuranami
Secretary : Asuka Suda