Tohoku University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Professor Tomohiko Taguchi's research lab focuses on cellular membrane dynamics, particularly the roles of membrane trafficking in innate immunity and signal transduction. The lab investigates how intracellular organelles such as recycling endosomes and the Golgi apparatus regulate the spatial organization and function of signaling molecules like Ras proteins. A central theme is the subcellular compartmentalization of lipids and glycoproteins—such as sphingomyelin and hyosophorin family proteins—across different membrane compartments, with implications for development and disease. The lab employs advanced imaging, biochemical, and glycobiological approaches to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying membrane trafficking and lipid distribution in mammalian and fish cells.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
The mammalian innate immune system serves as the front line of the host to eliminate invading pathogens. The receptors that sense invading pathogens or the pathogen-associated molecules localized at various membrane compartments that include the plasma membrane, endosomes, and the endoplasmic reticulum. Intriguingly, growing evidence indicates that the sites of pathogen detection do not always represent the site where innate immune signal is triggered. Rather, pathogen detection often induces tr
Ras proteins regulate cell growth, death, and differentiation, and it is well established that this functional versatility is accomplished through their different subcellular localizations. Palmitoylated H- and N-Ras are believed to localize at the perinuclear Golgi and plasma membrane (PM). Notably, however, recycling endosomes (REs) also localize to a perinuclear region, which is often indistinguishable from the Golgi. In this study, we show that active palmitoylated Ras proteins mainly locali
Cells internalize extracellular solutes, ligands and proteins and lipids in the plasma membrane (PM) by endocytosis. The removal of membrane from the PM is counteracted by endosomal recycling pathways that return the endocytosed proteins and lipids back to the PM. Recycling to the PM can occur from early endosomes. However, many cells have a distinct subpopulation of endosomes that have a mildly acidic pH of 6.5 and are involved in the endosomal recycling. These endosomes are dubbed recycling en
In a previous report (Kitajima, K., Inoue, S., and Inoue, Y. (1989) Dev. Biol. 132, 544-553), we found the presence of a heavily glycosylated polyprotein, "H-hyosophorin," isolated from the unfertilized eggs of Oryzias latipes. We now report our detailed analysis of the structure of the N-glycan chain in L-hyosophorin, the smallest repeating unit of H-hyosophorin, which was isolated from the fertilized eggs of O. latipes and formed from H-hyosophorin upon fertilization. The N-glycan structures w
Sphingomyelin (SM) is an abundant phospholipid in cell membranes. However, owing to the lack of appropriate probes, the subcellular distribution of SM remains unclear. In this study, we examined the localization of SM in COS-1 cells (green monkey kidney cells) by using two SM probes, lysenin and equinatoxin-II (EqtII). Both toxins stained SM in the plasma membrane (PM), and the stains were abolished by sphingomyelin synthase 2 (SMS2) knockdown or sphingomyelinase (SMase) treatment. Simultaneous
A novel carbohydrate-rich sialoglycopolyprotein of apparent molecular mass approximately 7000 Da was isolated from the fertilized eggs of the Medaka fish species, Oryzias melastigma. The glycoprotein was identified as a member of the L-hyosophorin family because it exhibited the following several distinctive features of L-hyosophorin molecules: (a) it contains a high proportion of carbohydrate (90% by weight), and (b) the amino acid sequence of the apopeptide was identical with that of the Oryzi
Phosphatidylserine (PS), a relatively minor constituent in the plasma membrane (PM), participates in various cellular processes such as clearance of apoptotic cells and recruitment of signaling molecules. PS also localizes in the membranes of endocytic organelles, such as recycling endosomes (REs). We recently showed that in REs, PS binds to the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of evectin-2, thereby regulating retrograde traffic from REs to the Golgi. However, direct evidence that PS has a role i
This study represents the first detailed investigation of the nature of highly sulfated (keratan-sulfate-like) complex-type asparagine-linked glycans having a tetraantennary core structure and shows the effectiveness of fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometric (FAB-MS) methods incorporating derivatization and mild methanolysis for analyzing such complex types of sulfated glycans. The structure of the N-glycan chains was unambiguously established by a combination of compositional analysis, methyl
A new beta1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GnT) responsible for the formation of branched N-linked complex-type sugar chains has been purified 64,000-fold in 16% yield from a homogenate of hen oviduct by column chromatography procedures using Q-Sepharose FF, Ni(2+)-chelating Sepharose FF, and UDP-hexanolamine-agarose. This enzyme catalyzes the transfer of GlcNAc from UDP-GlcNAc to tetraantennary oligosaccharide and produces pentaantennary oligosaccharide with the beta1-4-linked GlcNAc residu
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