NAKATOMI Akiko
Associate Professor
Developing human resources who will open up a new era
Office for Education and Research Strategy
Theme | Survey and research of new education system in School of Science and related graduate schools |
Field | Functional biochemistry, Protein chemistry, Intracellular signal transduction |
Keyword | Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, Calcium signaling, Phosphatase, Calcineurin, Calmodulin |
Introduction of Research
Calcineurin (also known as protein phosphatase 3) is one of the serine/threonine phosphatase that is controlled directly by Ca2+ and calmodulin. The functions of calcineurin have been studied most extensively in T lymphocytes, where calcineurin transduces immunogenic signals in response to T cell receptor activation, but we are interested in the function of calcineurin in testis. It has been thought that calcineurin is related to spermiogenesis, and later, to the regulation of flagellar motility, because expression of calcineurin fluctuates during the cycle of spermatogenesis, peaking after meiosis. However, any definite physiological functions of calcineurin in testis are not elucidated.
In recent years, a growing numbers of calcineurin-binding proteins have been discovered from various tissues, most of which can inhibit the phosphatase activity of calcineurin. These proteins seem to function as tissue specific regulator for calcineurin. We found a gonad specific calcineurin-binding protein, CaNBP75. This protein also bound a small G protein, Ran. CaNBP75 may function as a mediator for crosstalk between signaling pathways of Ca2+ regulation and the small G protein mediated regulation in spermatogenesis, and functional analyses of CaNBP75 help to understand the physiological function of calcineurin in testis.
Representative Achievements
Khasnis M, Nakatomi A, Gumpper K, Eto M.
Biochemistry 53(16) 2701-2709 Apr 2014
Hino H, Arimoto K, Yazawa M, Murakami Y, Nakatomi A
Marine biotechnology (New York, N.Y.) 14(4) 479-490 Aug 2012
Nakashima K, Ishida H, Nakatomi A, Yazawa M
Journal of biochemistry 152(1) 27-35 Jul 2012
Kitagawa, Chihiro; Nakatomi, Akiko; Hwang, Dasol; Osaka, Issey; Fujimori, Hiroki; Kawasaki, Hideya; Arakawa, Ryuichi; Murakami, Yota; Ohki, Shinya
BIOPHYSICS 7 35-49 2011
Nakatomi A, Yazawa M
Journal of biochemistry 133(2) 159-164 Feb 2003
Academic degree | Ph.D. |
Self Introduction | I’m working on the Ambitious Leader’s program, as a bridge between graduate students and the program. Please feel free to ask me about participating in the program or proceeding to the doctor course. |
Academic background | 1996 B. S., Department of Chemistry II, School of Science, Hokkaido University 1998 M. S., Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University 2003 Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University 2003 Instructor, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University 2006 Instructor, Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University 2007 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University 2010 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University 2014 Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University 2019- Present position |
Affiliated academic society | The Japanese Biochemical Society, Japanese Association for Protein Phosphatase Research |
Project | Hokkaido University Ambitious Leader's Program |
Room address | Science Building 5 5-213 |