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Genome Damage Response Lab
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The lab explores how cells respond to damage in the genome and how chromosomal abnormalities arise.
AboutAbout the lab
Approaching the root of disease through damage to the genome.
The Genome Damage Response Lab studies how cells respond to and repair damage in the genome caused by stress such as radiation.
When this response mechanism breaks down, it leads to diseases such as cancer, through abnormalities in transcriptionally active sites and gene regions, which are considered especially important parts of the genome.
The lab investigates when, where, and why chromosomal translocations, in which parts of chromosomes are rejoined to different partners, occur, aiming to understand the molecular mechanisms behind disease.
It is a field within the Graduate School of Biostudies, and students join the lab at the graduate level.
Key terms
- Chromosomal translocation
- A chromosomal abnormality in which parts of two chromosomes break off, swap places, and become rejoined.
- R-loop
- A special nucleic acid structure formed when RNA pairs with one strand of double-stranded DNA, consisting of a DNA-RNA duplex together with single-stranded DNA.
- Phase separation
- A phenomenon in which proteins and other molecules gather without mixing with their surroundings, like water and oil, forming a separate compartment.
NewsLab news
Paper by a Project Assistant Professor published in Nature Communications
Review article by a researcher accepted by Frontiers in Immunology
Review article published in Cancer Science
ResearchResearch themes
Even when radiation or other external stress damages the genome, cells are thought to repair it through an excellent response mechanism so that no abnormalities arise in the genome. The lab aims to elucidate this response mechanism and the mechanism by which its failure leads to disease.
Stress Response and Chromosomal Translocation
The lab focuses on chromosomal translocations, in which the response to genome damage caused by stress such as radiation breaks down and chromosomes are rejoined in transcriptionally active gene regions. It investigates why, when, and how translocations occur, using molecular biological and biochemical methods and an original analysis system based on cancer genome databases.
Transcription-Coupled Genome Repair
The lab has shown that R-loops, which tend to form in transcriptionally active regions, serve as a marker during DNA repair and induce accurate repair mechanisms. It is now working to clarify the detailed workings of these repair mechanisms and the mechanisms that suppress genome abnormalities.
Aging and the Occurrence of Genome Abnormalities
Focusing on protein assembly through liquid-liquid phase separation, the lab has shown that under transcription-inhibition stress, RNA-binding proteins form aggregates (CITI) in the nucleolus, creating structures prone to chromosomal translocation. By examining the conditions under which CITI forms and what it does, the lab aims to clarify the mechanisms of genome abnormalities that arise with aging.
How Cancer and Chromosomal Disorders Arise
Chromosomal translocations are risk factors for cancer and for psychiatric and neurological disorders, and when they occur in germ cells they cause infertility and chromosomal disorders in the fetus. With advanced-age childbirth, reproductive medicine, and cancer treatment in mind, the lab aims to understand the molecular mechanisms behind these conditions.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Genome Damage Response Lab consist of faculty, researchers, secretaries, students in the doctoral and master's programs, research students, and research support staff and technical assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakaaki Yasuhara
- Assistant ProfessorAnfeng Mu
- Project Assistant ProfessorTaichi Igarashi
- Assistant ProfessorRikiya Imamura
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