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Gene Engineering Division
Yuichi OBATA
Head of Gene Engineering Division
Yuichi OBATA (Ph.D.)
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Research Areas

The Gene Engineering Division has been engaging in the collection, preservation, quality control and distribution of genetic experimental materials such as plasmid and viral vectors, genomic and cDNA clones developed mainly by Japanese scientists. We provide domestic and international scientific community with genetic materials of the highest quality. Quality control is conducted by confirming growth, restriction enzyme mapping and nucleotide sequencing of clones. Associated information is provided via the web site of the RIKEN BRC. Training courses in advanced technologies for the best handing of host bacteria and recombinant viruses are also given. Since 2002, the Division has been selected as a core facility of DNA resources in Japan by National BioResource Project administrated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.

Research Subject

  1. Collection, preservation and distribution of genetic materials (DNA and cDNA).
  2. Development of handling and preservation technique.
  3. Development of quality control technique.
  4. Development of preparation method of recombinant virus and screening system of encoded proteins.
  5. Development of technology for study of the regulation of gene expression.

Related links

  1. RIKEN BioResource Center Website_Laboratories PageNew Window

List of Selected Publications

  1. Masuya, H., Makita, Y., Kobayashi, N., Nishikata, K., Yoshida, Y., Mochizuki, Y., Doi, K., Takatsuki, T., Waki, K., Tanaka, N., Ishii, M., Matsushima, A., Takahashi, S., Hijikata, A., Kozaki, K., Furuichi, T., Kawaji, H., Wakana, S., Nakamura, Y., Yoshiki, A., Murata, T., Fukami, K., Sujatha, M. S., Ohara, O., Hayashizaki, Y., Obata, Y., Toyoda, T.:
    "The RIKEN integrated database of mammals."
    Nucleic Acids Research, 39, D861-D870 (2011).
  2. Pan, J., Nakade, K., Huang, Y-C., Zhu, Z-W., Masuzaki, S., Hasegawa, H., Murata, T., Yoshiki, A., Yamaguchi, N., Lee, C-H., Yang, W-C., Tsai, E-M., Obata, Y. and Yokoyama, K.:
    "Suppression of cell-cycle progression by Jun dimerization protein-2 (JDP2) involves downregulation of cyclin-A2."
    Oncogene, 29, 6245-6256 (2010).
  3. Fukuda, K., Abei, M., Ugai, H., Kawashima, R., Seo, E., Wakayama, M., Murata, T., Endo, S., Hamada, H., Hyodo, I., and Yokoyama, K.:
    "E1A, E1B double-restricted replicative adenovirus at low dose greatly augments tumor-specific suicide gene therapy for gallbladder cancer."
    Cancer Gene Therapy, 16, 126-136 (2009).
  4. Nakade, K., Pan, J., Yamasaki, T., Murata, T., Wasylyk, B. and Yokoyama, K.:
    "JDP2 (Jun dimerization protein 2)-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts are resistant to replicative senescence."
    J. Biol. Chem., 284, 10808-10817 (2009).
  5. Yamasaki, T., Takahashi, A., Pan. J., Yamaguchi. N. and Yokoyama, K.:
    "Phosphorylation of activation transcription factor-2 (ATF-2) at serine 121 by protein kinase C controls c-Jun-mediated activation of transcription."
    J. Biol. Chem., in press (2009).
  6. Hirano, T., Ike, F., Murata, T., Obata, Y., Utiyama, H. and Yokoyama, K.:
    "Genes encoded within 8q24 on the amplicon of a large extrachromosomal element are selectively repressed during the terminal differentiation of HL-60 cells."
    Mutation Research 640, 97-106 (2008).
  7. Murata, T., Shinozuka, Y., Obata, Y. and Yokoyama, K.:
    "Phosphorylation of two eukaryotic transcription factors, Jun dimerization protein 2 and activation transcription factor 2, in Escherichia coli by Jun N-terminal kinase 1."
    Anal. Biochem. 376, 115-121 (2008).
  8. Nakade, K., Pan, J., Yoshiki, A., Ugai, H., Kimura, M., Liu, B., Li, H., Obata, Y., Iwama, M., Itohara, S., Murata, T. and Yokoyama, K.:
    "JDP2 suppresses adipocyte differentiation by regulating histone acetylation."
    Cell Death and Differentiaton 14, 1398-1405 (2007).
  9. Wakayama, M., Abei, M., Kawashima, R., Seo, E., Fukuda, K., Ugai, H., Murata, T., Tanaka, N., Hyodo, I., Hamada, H. and Yokoyama, K.:
    "E1A, E1B double-restricted adenovirus with RGD-Fiber modification exhibits enhanced oncolysis for CAR-deficient biliary cancers."
    Clinical Cancer Research. 13, 3043-3050 (2007).
  10. Jin, C., Kato, K., Chimura, T., Yamasaki, T., Nakade, K., Murata, T., Li, H., Pan, J., Zhao, M., Sun, K., Chiu, R., Ito, T., Nagata, K., Horikoshi, M., and Yokoyama, K.:
    "Regulation of histone acetylation and nucleosome assembly by transcription factor JDP2."
    Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 13, 331-338 (2006).

Members

Principal Investigator

Yuichi OBATA
Head

Staff Scientist

Takehide MURATA
Senior Research Scientist
Shotaro KISHIKAWA
Technical Scientist

Postdoctoral Fellow

Koji NAKADE
Contract Researcher

Technical Assistant

Takahito YAMASAKI
Technical Staff 2
Satoko MASUZAKI
Technical Staff 2
Masato OKUBO
Technical Staff 2
Yukari KUJIME
Technical Staff 2
Chitose KURIHARA
Technical Staff 2
Megumi SAKAYORI
Technical Staff 2