Laboratory for Inflammatory Regulation

Inflammation is an important host defense mechanism to fight against invading microbial pathogens. Inflammatory responses should be tightly regulated, otherwise, an excess of these responses can damage normal tissue and may cause autoimmune or allergic diseases. Our research goal is to identify key regulators of inflammation-related signal transduction pathways, and to clarify the molecular mechanisms for regulating inflammatory responses. These studies should contribute to the development of new therapeutic tools to control the exaggerated inflammation seen in certain human diseases. We now focus on the analysis of LIM proteins that negatively regulate inflammatory responses,

Research Fields

Biology & Biochemistry / Molecular Biology & Genetics / Immunology / Clinical Medicine / Neuroscience & Behavior

Research Subjects

• Clarification of the molecular mechanisms how inflammatory responses are regulated
• Analysis of the role of LIM proteins in the regulation of inflammatory responses
• Identification of the novel molecules that negatively regulate Th1•Th17 cell differentiation

Publications

1. Tanaka, T., Yamamoto, Y., Muromoto, R., Ikeda, O., Sekine, Y., Grusby, M.J., Kaisho, T., Matsuda, T.:
   "PDLIM2 inhibits T Helper 17 cell development and granulomatous inflammation through degradation of STAT3. "
   Sci. Signal. 4(202), ra85 (2011)
2. Kaisho, T. and Tanaka, T.:
   "Turning NF-κB and IRFs on and off in DCs."
   Trends Immunol., 29, 329-336 (2008)
3. Tanaka, T. Grusby, M.J. and Kaisho, T.:
   "PDLIM2-mediated termination of transcription factor NF-κB activation by intranuclear sequestration and degradation of the p65 subunit."
   Nat. Immunol. 8, 584-591 (2007)
4. Nakahira, M., Tanaka, T., Robson, B.E., Mizgerd, J.P. and Grusby, M.J.:
   "Regulation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription Signaling by the Tyrosine Phosphatase PTP-BL."
   Immunity 26, 163-176 (2007)
5. Tanaka, T., Soriano, M.A. and Grusby, M.J.:
   "SLIM is a nuclear ubiquitin ligase that negatively regulates STAT signaling."
   Immunity, 22, 729-736 (2005)