Tsutomu Suzuki 교수

Mitochondria are eukaryotic organelles that generate most of the energy in the cell by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Each mitochondrion contains multiple copies of a closed circular double-stranded DNA genome (mtDNA). Human (mammalian) mtDNA encodes 13 essential subunits of the inner membrane complex responsible for OXPHOS. These mRNAs are translated by the mitochondrial protein synthesis machinery, which uses the 22 species of mitochondrial tRNAs (mt tRNAs) encoded by mtDNA. The unique st

<i>N</i> ⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A), a major modification of messenger RNAs (mRNAs), plays critical roles in RNA metabolism and function. In addition to the internal m⁶A, <i>N</i> ⁶, 2'-<i>O</i>-dimethyladenosine (m⁶Am) is present at the transcription start nucleotide of capped mRNAs in vertebrates. However, its biogenesis and functional role remain elusive. Using a reverse genetics approach, we identified PCIF1, a factor that interacts with th

Locoregional recurrence is associated mainly with the extent of the local tumor and lymph node metastasis; hematogenous recurrence is not only associated with tumor stage but also with the tumor's oncologic behavior.

Human mitochondrial (mt) tRNA(Lys) has a taurine-containing modified uridine, 5-taurinomethyl-2-thiouridine (taum5s2U), at its anticodon wobble position. We previously found that the mt tRNA(Lys), carrying the A8344G mutation from cells of patients with myoclonus epilepsy associated with ragged-red fibers (MERRF), lacks the taum5s2U modification. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a tRNA-modifying enzyme MTU1 (mitochondrial tRNA-specific 2-thiouridylase 1) that is respon

Mammalian mitochondrial (mt) mRNAs have short poly(A) tails at their 3' termini that are post-transcriptionally synthesized by mt poly(A) polymerase (PAP). The polyadenylation of mt mRNAs is known to be a key process needed to create UAA stop codons that are not encoded in mtDNA. In some cases, polyadenylation is required for the tRNA maturation by editing of its 3' terminus. However, little is known about the functional roles the poly(A) tail of mt mRNAs plays in mt translation and RNA turnover

Abstract Environmental enrichment is an experimental paradigm that increases brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression accompanied by neurogenesis in the hippocampus of rodents. In the present study, we investigated whether an enriched environment could cause epigenetic modification at the BDNF gene in the hippocampus of mice. Exposure to an enriched environment for 3–4 weeks caused a dramatic increase in the mRNA expression of BDNF, but not platelet‐derived growth factor A (PDGF‐