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Biochemistry Lab
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A biochemistry lab uncovering how lipids form the barriers of skin and tears.
AboutAbout the lab
Opening up new research frontiers in lipids
The Biochemistry Lab studies the functions of the diverse lipids in the body.
Rather than their well-known roles as energy sources and building materials for biological membranes, the lab focuses on the "barrier function" that keeps substances from passing in and out at the body's surface.
It investigates how ceramides in the stratum corneum of the skin, and meibum lipids that form the oil layer of tears, are produced and how they function.
Abnormalities in these lipid barriers lead to conditions such as ichthyosis, atopic dermatitis, and dry eye.
Key terms
- Ceramide
- A lipid in which a long-chain base is linked to a fatty acid. It is abundant in the stratum corneum of the skin, where it prevents water evaporation and the entry of foreign substances.
- Sphingolipid
- A group of lipids that have ceramide as their backbone. They are involved in many functions, including the skin barrier, the nervous system, and immunity.
- Very-long-chain fatty acid
- A long fatty acid with 21 or more carbon atoms. It is found in ceramides, tear lipids, and other lipids.
NewsLab news
Assistant Professor Jojima wins Young Investigator Award at the 19th Annual Meeting of the Ceramide Research Society
Professor Kihara wins the 9th Taro Ito Academic Award
Paper revealing the structures of the major bound ceramides in humans published in FASEB J
Assistant Professor Jojima wins Young Investigator Presentation Award at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Conference on the Biochemistry of Lipids
Paper on DHRS7, an enzyme involved in plasmalogen production, published in J Cell Sci
ResearchResearch themes
The lab focuses on sphingolipids, which are especially diverse and multifunctional among lipids, and studies the genes involved in their synthesis and degradation. It aims to clarify how lipids that provide a "barrier function" in the stratum corneum of the skin and the oil layer of tears are produced and how they work.
*Illustrative imageSearching for sphingolipid genes
The lab identifies genes for enzymes involved in the synthesis, degradation, and modification of sphingolipids such as ceramides. Using cells and mice in which these genes have been knocked out, it examines the functions of the lipids and their relationship to disease.
*Illustrative imageDegradation of long-chain bases and α-oxidation
The lab studies the pathways by which long-chain bases, produced when ceramides are broken down, are converted into fatty acids. It has also revealed an α-oxidation pathway that converts phytosphingosine into odd-chain fatty acids.
*Illustrative imageProduction of very-long-chain fatty acids and disease
The lab identified ELOVL1, a fatty acid elongase that produces very-long-chain fatty acids. Because knockout mice showed skin barrier abnormalities and dry eye, the research has expanded to the skin and tears.
*Illustrative imageEpidermal ceramides and the skin barrier
The lab studies how ceramides form the barrier in the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin. It has established a method for comprehensively measuring ceramides in the stratum corneum and has identified genes involved in the production of acylceramides.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Biochemistry Lab include faculty and students.As of 2026
- ProfessorAkio Kihara
- LecturerTatsuro Naganuma
- Assistant ProfessorKeisuke Jojima
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Normal Epidermis and Dermis with Intradermal Nevus 10x” Kilbad / Public domain (cropped)
- Searching for sphingolipid genes: “Ceramid” NEUROtiker / Public domain (cropped)
- Degradation of long-chain bases and α-oxidation: “Sphingosine-1-phosphate-anion-3D-balls” Jynto (talk) / CC0 (cropped)
- Production of very-long-chain fatty acids and disease: “Lignoceric-acid-3D-balls” Jynto and Ben Mills / Public domain (cropped)
- Epidermal ceramides and the skin barrier: “Confocal image of the stratum corneum” Tratzinsky / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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