Kyushu University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Professor Dongchon Kang's research lab focuses on mitochondrial biology, with a central emphasis on the maintenance, integrity, and functional regulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying mtDNA damage, repair, and mutagenesis, particularly in the context of aging and age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. Key research directions include the role of nuclear-encoded factors like MTH1 and TFAM in protecting mtDNA from oxidative stress and ensuring proper transcription, replication, and nucleoid organization. The lab also employs advanced molecular techniques to study the dynamics of mtDNA replication and the in vivo identification of replication origins.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
We examined the intracellular distribution of 8-oxo-dGTPase (8-oxo-7,8-dihydrodeoxyguanosine triphosphatase) encoded by the MTH1 gene, a human mutator homologue. The activity of 8-oxo-dGTPase mainly located in cytosolic and mitochondrial soluble fractions of Jurkat cells, a human T-cell leukemia line. Electron microscopic immunocytochemistry, using a specific antibody against MTH1 protein, showed localization of MTH1 protein in the mitochondrial matrix. Activity in the mitochondria accounted for
Mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under physiological conditions in association with activity of the respiratory chain in aerobic ATP production. The production of ROS is essentially a function of O2 consumption. Hence, increased mitochondrial activity per se can be an oxidative stress to cells. Furthermore, production of ROS is markedly enhanced in many pathological conditions in which the respiratory chain is impaired. Because mitochondrial DNA, which is essential for executio
It has long been considered that mitochondrial DNA disease is a rare genetic disorder causing neuromyopathy. However, alterations of mitochondrial DNA recently have been recognized to play an important role in the pathogenesis of so-called common diseases such as heart failure, diabetes, and cancer. Although some of these alterations are inherited, more and more attention is being focused on the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations in somatic cells, particularly terminally differentiated
Mitochondria have their own genome, which is essential for proper oxidative phosphorylation needed for a large part of ATP production in a cell. Although mitochondrial DNA-less (rho0) cells can survive under special conditions, the integrity of the mitochondrial genome is critical for survival of multicellular organisms. Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), originally cloned as transcription factor, is essential for the maintenance of mtDNA. Recently, it has become known that TFAM plays
A large part of replication is aborted in human mitochondria, the result being a D-loop. As few attempts have been made to distinguish free 5' ends of true replicate from those of abortive ones, we examined the 5' ends of true replicate of human mitochondrial DNA at one nucleotide resolution in vivo by making use of ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction. The distribution and relative amounts of origins of the true replicate are exactly the same as those of total newly synthesized heavy str
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