Research activity

• Molecular mechanism of nutritional regulation of metabolism
• Molecular mechanism of liver-specific gene expression (differentiation)

With the aim to establish scientific bases for a healthy human life, we are developing extensive researches in the field of nutritional biochemistry using whole animals, tissues, cells and molecular-biological techniques.

• How can hepatocytes keep hepatocyte-phenotype?


Liver, a main tissue for drug metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and lipid metabolism, is highly differentiated. Although several liver-enriched transcription factors have been cloned, none of the transcription factors so far characterized is able to trigger the liver differentiation program in non-liver cells. We have found that the primary cultured hepatocyte is good model for investigating liver-differentiation. Monolayer hepatocytes cultured under usual conditions lose liver-specific functions after plating. However, hepatocytes cultured on laminin-rich basement membrane gel show spherical shapes and keep high levels of liver-specific functions. Some liver-enriched transcription factors have been identified to be involved in the maintenance of liver-specific functions in the hepatocyte culture. Although one of our final goals is to construct an artificial liver preparation, we are now focusing our efforts on 1) cloning of novel liver-specific transcription factors, 2) determination of cis-acting elements for extracellular matrix signals, and 3) identification of signal transduction pathways from extracellular matrix to nucleus.

Member

Staff

Associate Professor

Hiroaki Oda, Ph. D.

hirooda@agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp

Graduate students

M2	Sayaka Tsukioka
M2	Tomonori Haruma
M2	Tomoharu Fujiyoshi
	Takahiro Kitazawa
M1	Tomoko Okuura
M1	shunji Okuyama
M1	Kyoko Murayama
Undergraduate (4th)	Misaki Andou
Undergraduate (4th)	Shingo Ohkubo
Undergraduate (4th)	Shizuka Hattori