RNA Biology Laboratory

In a classical view of the "Central Dogma", genetic information encoded in DNA is transcribed into RNA, and is subsequently translated into protein that finally regulates physiological events in living organisms. During the last decade, however, an extensive amount of work has been done clarifying the role of small non protein-coding (noncoding) RNAs that regulate gene expression through a mechanism collectively called RNA-mediated gene silencing. In addition, recent transcriptome analyses identified a huge number of noncoding RNAs transcribed from the mammalian genome, raising a possibility that these noncoding RNA might provide a basis for the complexity of the higher organism. We are especially interested in a group of noncoding RNAs that stably accumulates in the nucleus, forming particular nuclear structures. We are trying to elucidate their physiological functions using knockout mouse that lack expression of these noncoding RNAs.

Research Subjects

• Phenotypic analysis of mutant mouse of nuclear mRNA-like noncoding RNAs
• Biochemical analysis of complex of mRNA-like noncoding RNAs

Publications

1. Nakagawa S, Naganuma T, Shioi G, Hirose T.:
   "Malat1 is not an essential component of nuclear speckles in mice."
   RNA 18, 1487-1499 (2012)
2. Nakagawa S. and Hirose, T.:
   "Paraspeckle nuclear bodies--useful uselessness?"
   Cell Mol Life Sci 69, 3027-3036 (2012)
3. Nakagawa S, Naganuma T, Shioi G, Hirose T.:
   "Paraspeckles are subpopulation-specific nuclear bodies that are not essential in mice."
   J Cell Biol. 139, 31-39 (2011)
4. Tsuiji H, Yoshimoto R, Hasegawa Y, Furuno M, Yoshida M, Nakagawa S.:
   "Competition between a noncoding exon and introns: Gomafu contains tandem UACUAAC repeats and associates with splicing factor-1."
   Genes Cells 16, 470-490 (2011)
5. Nakagawa S, Prasanth KV.:
   "eXIST with matrix-associated proteins."
   Trends Cell Biol 21, 321-327 (2011)
6. Hasegawa, Y., Brockdorff, N., Kawano, S., Tsutui, K., & Nakagawa, S.:
   "The matrix protein hnRNP U is required for chromosomal localization of Xist RNA."
   Dev Cell 19, 469-476 (2010)
7. Kubo, F. and Nakagawa, S.:
   "c-hairy1 acts as a node downstream of Wnt signaling to maintain retinal stem cell-like progenitor cells in the ciliary marginal zone"
   Development 136, 1823-1833 (2009)
8. Suga, A., Taira, M. and Nakagawa, S.:
   "The mRNA-like noncoding RNA GLIM family transcription factors regulate the subtype-specific morphogenesis of retinal horizontal cells at post-migratory stages.omafu constitutes a novel nuclear domain in a subset of neurons."
   Dev Biol, 330, 318-328. (2009)
9. Sone, M., Hayashi, T., Tarui, H., Agata, K., Takeichi, M., and Nakagawa, S.:
   "The mRNA-like noncoding RNA Gomafu constitutes a novel nuclear domain in a subset of neurons."
   Journal of Cell Science 120, 248-2506 (2007)
10. Sato, Y., Kasai, T., Nakagawa, S., Tanabe, K., Watanabe, T., Kawakami, K., and Takahashi, Y.:
    "Stable integration and conditional expression of electroporated transgenes in chicken embryos."
    Developmental Biology 305, 616-624 (2007)