TOMOKO TAKAHASHI
Group

About us

Mammalian antiviral defense system directed by non-coding RNAs

Humans are multicellular organisms. An individual being is a collection of cells with different functions. The function of each cell is determined based on the kind of genes expressed in the cell. Gene expression is regulated precisely at each stage during the flow of information from DNA to RNA and RNA to protein. To understand the entire picture and predict or control the immune responses of virus-infected cells, we mainly focus on the regulation of gene expression at the RNA level; in other words, we focus on RNA synthesis (transcription) and degradation. We are analyzing how small non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs regulate the gene expression through mRNA degradation and translational repression using cell biology and bioinformatics methods. Approximately 2,000 microRNAs are encoded in the human genome; they show different expression profiles depending on the cell type and condition. MicroRNAs and siRNAs can also be chemically synthesized and introduced into the cells to regulate gene expression and subsequent cellular immune responses, including interferon production and death of virus-infected cells. We are interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the antiviral function of non-coding RNAs and their regulatory networks in human cells for controlling the fate of virus-infected cells and immune responses in humans. Specifically, our ongoing research topics are as follows:

・Assessing the antiviral function of non-coding RNAs and regulatory factors for the regulation of cellular immune responses
e.g. Takahashi et al. 2018, Takahashi et al. 2020, Shibata and Moriizumi et al 2024

・Assessing the antiviral function of non-coding RNAs and regulatory factors for the regulation of viral replication
e.g. Kaneko et al 2023, Shibamoto and Kitsu et al 2024

・Understanding the crosstalk mechanism between endogenous and exogenous nucleic acids
e.g. Takahashi et al. 2020

・Deciphering the function of non-coding RNAs in innate and adaptive immunity
e.g. Takahashi et al. 2021

For more information, please contact Tomoko Takahashi.