Teachers

The following projects are ongoing in this laboratory.

1. Transcriptional activation during mammalian spermatogenesis.
   We aim to know the genome function in reproduction and our current main project is the gene regulation during spermatogenesis. Focusing on two model loci in mouse and human, we predict that multifunctional dual promoter-enhancers (DPEs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play significant roles in transcriptional activation during spermatogenesis. We investigate the physiological significance and detailed mechanisms of DPEs and lncRNAs.
2. Transcriptional activation in mouse ovarian granulosa cells.
   We also investigate the gene regulation in mouse ovary, especially the mechanism in granulosa cells. Granulosa cells are critical for follicular development and many genes specifically function in the process. We have identified several potential enhancers and lncRNAs in mouse granulosa cells and investigate their physiological significance and detailed mechanisms.
3. Functions of proteases in the testis and placenta.
   Proteases plays important roles in various biological events, but their function is unclear in spermatogenesis and placental differentiation. Using mouse as a model, we investigate how proteases function in the testis and placenta. 

References

• Satoh Y., Takei N., Kawamura S., Takahashi N., Kotani T., and Kimura A.P. (2019) A novel testis-specific long noncoding RNA, Tesra, activates the Prss42/Tessp-2 gene during mouse spermatogenesis. Biol. Reprod. 100: 833-848
• Kimura A.P., Yoneda R., Kurihara M., Mayama S., and Matsubara S. (2017) A long noncoding RNA, lncRNA-Amhr2, plays a role in Amhr2 gene activation in mouse ovarian granulosa cells. Endocrinology 158(11): 4105-4121
• Maruyama Y., Matsubara S., and Kimura A.P. (2017) Mouse prolyl oligopeptidase plays a role in trophoblast stem cell differentiation into trophoblast giant cell and spongiotrophoblast. Placenta 53: 8-15
• Kurihara M., Shiraishi A., Satake H., and Kimura A.P. (2014) A conserved noncoding sequence can function as a spermatocyte-specific enhancer and a bidirectional promoter for a ubiquitously expressed gene and a testis-specific long noncoding RNA. J. Mol. Biol. 426: 3069-3093
• Matsubara S., Kurihara M., and Kimura A.P. (2014) A long non-coding RNA transcribed from conserved non-coding sequences contributes to the mouse prolyl oligopeptidase gene activation. J. Biochem. 155(4): 243-256
• Yoneda R., Takahashi T., Matsui H., Takano N., Hasebe Y., Ogiwara K., and Kimura A. P. (2013) Three testis-specific paralogous serine proteases play different roles in murine spermatogenesis and are involved in germ cell survival during meiosis. Biol. Reprod. 88(5): 118, 1-14