Name of Division: Molecular Oncology (Formerly Department of Hygiene and Oncology)

Staff

Education

　　Undergraduate Course

　 Hygiene is our charge. The undergraduate curriculum of hygiene includes lectures, small-group seminars, laboratory studies, and educational visits to a water purification plant and/or the Tokyo Metropolitan Laboratory of Public Health. Topics of lectures consist of environmental pollution and human health, world-wide environmental problems, carcinogen and occupational cancer, smoking-related diseases, infectious diseases including AIDS and hepatitis, food poisoning, anoxia and heat-related diseases.

　　Graduate Course

　The graduate students pursue their own projects associated with one of researches being in progress in the division. Every student can learn the basic scientific techniques, such as genetic engineering, cell culture and biochemical procedures. There are also many special lectures on cancer, gene, cell biology and biochemistry for the graduate students. On weekly seminars, the students present their own research data and introduce important papers from newly-arrived journals. Once the students get new findings, they are encouraged to present them at the domestic or international meeting and write manuscripts.

　

Research Subjects

・Cellular and molecular analyses of cancer-related genes, such as oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, in gastroenterological cancers

・Molecular mechanism of cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis

・Involvement of differentiation-related genes in gastroenterological diseases

・DNA methylation and cancer

・Transcription factors and cancer

・Effect of environmental factors on gene expression and DNA methylation

　

Publications

2001

　 1. Nakajima T, Akiyama Y, Shiraishi J, Arai T, Yanagisawa Y, Ara M, Fukuda Y, Sawabe M, Saitoh K, Kamiyama R, Hirokawa K, Yuasa Y: Age-related hypermethylation of the hMLH1 promoter in gastric cancers. Int. J. Cancer 2001:94:208-211.

　 2. Sato Y, Akiyama Y, Tanizawa T, Shibata T, Saito K, Mori S, Kamiyama R, Yuasa Y: Molecular characterization of the genomic breakpoint junction in the t(11;18)(q21;q21) translocation of a gastric MALT lymphoma. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 2001:280:301-306.

　 3. Akiyama Y, Nagasaki H, Nakajima T, Sakai H, Nomizu T, Yuasa Y: Infrequent frameshift mutations in the simple repeat sequences of hMLH3 in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancers. Jpn. J. Clinic. Oncol. 2001:31:61-64.

　 4. Esteller M, Fraga MF, Guo M, Garcia-Foncillas J , Hedenfalk I, Godwin AK, Trojan J, Vaurs-Barriere C, Bignon Y-J, Ramus S, Benitez J, Caldes T, Akiyama Y, Yuasa Y, Launonen V, Canal MJ, Rodriguez R, Capella G, Peinado MA, Borg A, Aaltonen LA, Ponder BA, Baylin SB, Herman JG: DNA methylation patterns in hereditary human cancers mimic sporadic tumorigenesis. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2001:10:3001-3007. 　

　 5. Kai M, Tanaka H, Wang TS-F: Fission yeast rad17 associates with chromatin in response to aberrant genomic structures. Mol. Cell. Biol. 2001:21:3289-3301.

　 6. Nakajima Y, Miyake S, Nagai K, Kawano T,　Iwai T: CPT-11 may provide therapeutic efficacy for esophageal squamous cell cancer and the effects correlate with the level of DNA topoisomerase I protein. Jpn. J. Cancer Res. 2001:92:1335-1341.

2000

　 1. Bai Y-Q, Akiyama Y, Nagasaki H, Yagi OK, Kikuchi Y, Saito N, Takeshita K, Iwai T, Yuasa Y: Distinct expression of CDX2 and GATA4/5, development-related genes, in human gastric cance cell lines. Molecular Carcinogenesis 2000:28:184-188.

　 2. Yanagisawa Y, Akiyama Y, Iida S, Ito E, Nomizu T, Sugihara K, Yuasa Y, Maruyama K: Methylation of the hMLH1 promoter in familial gastric cancer with microsatellite instability. Int. J. Cancer 2000:85:50-53.

　 3. Iida S, Akiyama Y, Nakajima T, Ichikawa W, Nihei Z, Sugihara K, Yuasa Y: Alterations and hypermethylation of the p14ARF gene in gastric cancers. Int. J. Cancer 2000:87:654-658

　 4. Akiyama Y, Nagasaki H, Yagi OK, Nomizu T, Yuasa Y: b-catenin and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutations in adenomas from hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer patients. Cancer Letters 2000:157:185-191.

　 5. Furihata M, Shuin T, Takeuchi T, Sonobe H, Ohtsuki Y, Akiyama Y, Yuasa Y: Missense mutation of the hMSH6 and p53 genes in sporadic urothelial transitional cell carcinoma. Int. J. Oncology 2000:16:491-496.

　 6. Suzuki L, Woessner JP, Uchida H, Kuroiwa H, Yuasa Y, Waffenschmidt S, Goodenough UW, Kuroiwa T: A zygote-specific protein with hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein domains and lectin-like domains involved in the assembly of the cell wall of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (chlorophyta). J. Phycol. 2000:36:571-583.

　 7. Ito E, Xie G, Maruyama K, Palmer PP: A core-promoter region functions bi-directionally for human opioid-receptor-like gene ORL1 and its 5'-adjacent gene GAIP. J Mol. Biol. 2000:304:259-270.

　 8. Xie GX, Ito E, Maruyama K, Pietruck C, Sharma M, Yu LC, et al.: An alternatively spliced transcript of the rat nociceptin receptor ORL1 gene encodes a truncated receptor. Mol. Brain Res. 2000:77:1-9.

　 9. Miyake S, Sellers WS, Adams PD, Zhao W, Li X, Gan J, DeCaprio JA, Grossman SR, Kaelin WG Jr: Cells degrade a novel inhibitor of differentiation with E1A-like properties upon exiting the cell-cycle. Mol. Cell Biol. 2000: 20: 8889-8902.

　10. Imai K, Matsuyama S, Miyake S, Nakachi K: Natural killer activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes and cancer incidence: an eleven-year follow-up study of general population. Lancet 2000:356: 1795-1799.

　11. Nakachi K, Matsuyama S, Miyake S, Suganuma M, Imai K: Preventive effects of drinking green tea on cancer and cardiovascular disease: Epidemiological evidence for multiple targeting prevention. BioFactors 2000: 13: 49-54.

1999

　 1. Yagi OK, Akiyama Y, Yuasa Y: Genomic structure and alterations of homeobox gene CDX2 in colorectal carcinomas. Br. J. Cancer 1999:79:440-444.

　 2. Ito E, Iwahashi Y, Yanagisawa Y, Suzuki Y, Sugano S, Yuasa Y, Maruyama K: Two short sequences have positive effects on the human p27kip1 gene transcription. Gene 1999:228:93-100.

　 3. Ito E, Yanagisawa Y, Iwahashi Y, Suzuki Y, Nagasaki H, Akiyama Y, Sugano S, Yuasa Y, Maruyama K: A core promoter and a frequent single-nucleotide polymorphism of the mismatch repair gene hMLH1. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 1999:256:488-494.

　 4. Bai Y-Q, Akiyama Y, Nagasaki H, Lu S-L, Arai T, Morisaki T, Kitamura M, Muto A, Nagashima M, Nomizu T, Iwama T, Itoh H, Baba S, Iwai T, Yuasa Y: Predominant germline mutation of the hMSH2 gene in Japanese hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer kindreds. Int. J. Cancer, 1999:82:512-515.

　 5. Iida S, Akiyama Y, Ichikawa W, Yamashita T, Nomizu T, Nihei Z, Sugihara K, Yuasa Y: Infrequent germline mutation of the E-cadherin gene in Japanese familial gastric cancer kindreds. Clin. Cancer Res. 1999:5:1445-1447.

　 6. Lu S-L, Kawabata M, Imamura T, Miyazono K, Yuasa Y: Two divergent signaling pathways for TGF-β separated by a mutation of its type II receptor gene. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 1999:259:385-390.

　 7. Bruder CEG, Ichimura K, Tingby O, Hirakawa K, Komatsuzaki A, Tamura A, Yuasa Y, Collins VP, Dumanski JP: A group of schwannomas with interstitial deletions on 22q located outside the NF2 locus shows no detectable mutations in the NF2 gene. Hum. Genet. 1999:104:418-424.

　 8. Bruder CEG, Ichimura K, Blennow E, Ikeuchi T, Yamaguchi T, Yuasa Y, Collins VP, Dumanski JP: Severe phenotype of neurofibromatosis type 2 in a patient with a 7.4-MB constitutional deletion on chromosome 22: Possible localization of a neurofibromatosis type 2 modifier gene? Genes, Chromosomes & Cancer 1999:25:184-190.

　 9. Arai T, Akiyama Y, Nagasaki H, Murase N, Okabe S, Ikeuchi T, Saito K, Iwai T, Yuasa Y: EXTL3/EXTR1 alterations in colorectal cancer cell lines. Int. J. Oncol. 1999:15:915-919.

　10. Akiyama Y, Arai T, Nagasaki H, Yagi OK, Nakahata A, Nakajima T, Ohkura Y, Iwai T, Saitoh K, Yuasa Y: Frequent allelic imbalance on chromosome 18q21 in early superficial colorectal cancers. Jpn. J. Cancer Res. 1999:90:1329-1337.

　11. Xie G-X, Ito E, Maruyama K, Suzuki Y, Sugano S, Sharma M, Pietruck C, Palmer PP: The promoter region of human prepro-nociceptin gene and its regulation by cyclic AMP and steroid hormones. Gene 1999: 238:427-436.

　12. Tanaka H, Tanaka K, Murakami H, Okayama H: Fission yeast cdc24 is a replication factor C- and proliferating cell nuclear antigen-interacting factor essential for S-phase completion. Mol. Cell. Biol. 1999 :19:1038-48.

1998

　 1. Lu S-L, Kawabata M, Imamura T, Akiyama Y, Nomizu T, Miyazono K, Yuasa Y: HNPCC associated with germline mutation in the TGF-β type II receptor gene. Nature Genetics 1998:19:17-18.

　 2. Yagi OK, Akiyama Y, Nomizu T, Iwama T, Endo M, Yuasa Y: Proapoptotic gene BAX is frequently mutated in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancers but not in adenomas. Gastroenterology 1998:114:268-274.

　 3. Arai T, Akiyama Y, Yamamura A, Hosoi T, Shibata T, Saitoh K, Okabe S, Yuasa Y: Allelotype analysis of early colorectal cancers with lymph node metastasis. Int. J. Cancer 1998:79:418-423.

　 4. Arai T, Akiyama Y, Okabe S, Ando M, Endo M, Yuasa Y: Genomic structure of the human Smad3 gene and its infrequent alterations in colorectal cancers. Cancer Letters 1998:122:157-163.

　 5. Akiyama Y, Yagi OK, Ishikawa T, Nagasaki H, Saitoh K, Yuasa Y: Genetic alterations are frequent in APC but rare in the TGF-β type II receptor gene in cancer in adenoma of the colon. Cancer Letters 1998:125:89-96.

　 6. Yanagisawa Y, Ito E, Iwahashi Y, Akiyama Y, Yuasa Y, Maruyama K: Isolation and characterization of the 5ﾕ region of the human mismatch repair gene hPMS1. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 1998:243:738-743.

　 7. Tahara S, Tanaka K, Yuasa Y, Okayama H: Functional domains of Rep2, a transcriptional activator subunit for Res2-Cdc10, controlling the cell cycle 'start'. Mol. Biol. Cell 1998:9:1577-1588.

　 8. Iwahashi Y, Ito E, Yanagisawa Y, Akiyama Y, Yuasa Y, Onodera T, Maruyama K: Promoter analysis of the human mismatch repair gene hMSH2. Gene 1998:213:141-147.

　 9. Arai T, Akiyama Y, Okabe S, Saito K, Iwai T, Yuasa Y: Genomic organization and mutation analysis of the DR5/TRAIL receptor 2 gene in colorectal carcinoma. Cancer Letters 1998:133:197-204.

　10. Ikezoe T, Takeuchi S, Arai T, Yuasa Y, Taguchi H: Analysis of the Smad3 gene in hematological malignancies. Int. J. Hematology 1998:68:457-4.

　

[Graduate School, School of Medicine]

［TOKYO MEDICAL AND DENTAL UNIVERSITY］