Cellular Memory Laboratory

Our laboratory's principal objective is to understand the molecular mechanism of epigenetic gene regulation and the role of epigenetics in health and disease. To address these topics, we take multidisciplinary approaches, including molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, structural biology and mouse molecular genetics.

Research Subjects

• Studies for epigenetic regulation of biological processes
• Biology of protein lysine methylation
• Elucidation of molecular mechanisms of human diseases by utilizing novel animal models

Publications

1. Shinkai, Y., and Tachibana, M.:
   "H3K9 Methyltransferase G9a and the Related Molecule GLP."
   Genes Dev. 2011, 25:781-788.
2. Matsui, T., Leung, D., Miyashita, H., Maksakova, I.A., Miyachi, H., Kimura, H., Tachibana, M., Lorincz, M.C., and Shinkai, Y.:
   "Proviral silencing in embryonic stem cells requires the histone methyltransferase ESET."
   Nature. 2010, 464:927-931.
3. Inagaki, T., Tachibana, M., Magoori, K., Kudo, H., Tanaka, T., Okamura, M., Naito, M. Kodama., T. Shinkai, Y., and Sakai, Y.:
   "Obesity and metabolic syndrome in histone demethylase JHDM2a deficient mice. "
   Genes to Cells, 2009, 14:991-1001
4. Tachibana M., Matsumura Y., Fukuda M., Kimura H., and Shinkai Y.:
   "G9a/GLP complexes independently mediate H3K9 and DNA methylation to silence transcription."
   EMBO J. 2008, 27:2681-2690.
5. Tachibana, M., Nozaki, M., Takeda, N., and Shinkai, Y.:
   "Functional dynamics of H3K9 methylation during meiotic prophase progression."
   EMBO J. 2007, 26:3346-3359.
6. Tachibana, M., Ueda, J., Fukuda, M., Takeda, N., Ohta, T., Iwanari, H., Sakihama, T., Kodama, T., Hamakubo, T., and Shinkai, Y.:
   "Histone methyltransferases G9a and GLP form heteromeric complexes and are both crucial for methylation of euchromatin at H3-K9."
   Gene Dev. 2005, 19:815-826.
7. Tachibana, M., Sugimoto, K., Nozaki, M., Ueda, J., Ohta, T., Ohki, M., Fukuda, M., Takeda, N., Niida, H., Kato, H., and Shinkai, Y.:
   "G9a histone methyltransferase plays a dominant role for euchromatic histone H3 lysine 9 methylation and is essential for early embryogenesis."
   Gene Dev. 2002, 16:1779-1791.
8. Tachibana, M., Sugimoto, K., Fukushima, T., and Shinkai, Y.:
   "with hyperactivity and specific selectivity to lysines 9 and 27 of histone H3"
   J. Biol. Chem. 2001, 276:25309-25317.