Protein Metabolism Project
Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies of Protein Metabolism Diseases
Yasushi Saeki has been the leader of the Protein Metabolism Project since 2019. He received his Ph.D. in 2003 from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University. After working as a JSPS research fellow at the Univ. of Tokyo, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Keiji Tanaka in 2007. He has been studying the ubiquitin-proteasome system and has identified the last proteasome subunit, multiple proteasome-specific chaperones, and key regulators for proteasomal degradation. He has also developed methods for analyzing proteasome activity and ubiquitin chain topology. Since 2018, he has also led the Grantin-Aid Scientific Research on Innovative Area ‘New frontier for ubiquitin biology driven by chemo-technologies’ and works to promote collaborative research on ubiquitin in Japan.
Backgrounds
Protein Metabolism：The Ubiquitin Proteasome System
All proteins of the cell continually are recycled with individually distinct life-span, which is fundamentally important to keep healthy cellular activities in eukaryotes. The proteasome, in collaboration with the ubiquitin system used for choice of target proteins, selectively degrades unnecessary proteins that must be eliminated from the cells. Indeed, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) plays a pivotal role in the control of a diverse array of basic cellular functions by catalyzing a number of reactions timely, rapidly, and irreversibly. The missions of our laboratory aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the UPS and to integrate it into physiology and pathology.
Members
Project Leader Yasushi Saeki
- Yukiko Yoshida
- Tsuchiya Hikaru
- Akinori Endo
- Takuya Tomita