LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Chromatin Metabolism Regulation Lab (Ura-Sassa Lab)
Machine-translated · View original
Starting from the histones that DNA wraps around, the lab uncovers how the genome is protected and put to use.
AboutAbout the lab
Unraveling how the genome works, starting from histones.
The Chromatin Metabolism Regulation Lab studies the function of histones, the proteins that genomic DNA wraps around.
Inside the cell nucleus, DNA wraps around histones to form a structure called chromatin.
DNA reactions such as replication, transcription, repair, and recombination all take place on this chromatin.
The lab focuses on chemical modifications of histones and investigates how they work from two sides: gene expression and DNA repair.
The lab is jointly run by Professor Kiyoe Ura and Associate Professor Akira Sassa, and the two share common research rules and the same broad research direction.
Key terms
- Chromatin
- A structure inside the cell nucleus in which DNA is wrapped around proteins called histones and folded
- Histone modification
- A chemical change in which groups such as methyl or acetyl groups are attached to histones. It serves as a marker for whether a gene is expressed
- Epigenome
- The full set of marks that determine which genes are used and when, without changing the DNA base sequence
NewsLab news
Evaluation method for visualizing epigenetic changes published in Bio-protocol
Student wins Best Presentation Award at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Environmental Mutagen and Genome Society
Study reveals that RNA rewriting protects DNA, published in Frontiers in Genetics
Associate Professor Sassa receives the Chiba University Advanced Academic Award
Study reveals the effect of RNA damage on SARS-CoV-2 genome synthesis, published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
ResearchResearch themes
Genomic DNA forms chromatin together with histones, and replication, transcription, repair, and recombination all proceed on it. Using histone modifications as a clue, the lab investigates how gene expression and the response to DNA damage are linked.
*Illustrative imageHistones that control the genome
More than 100 types of chemical histone modifications, such as acetylation and methylation, have been found so far, and they act as genetic information beyond the base sequence. Focusing on NSD2, the histone H3K36 methyltransferase, the lab is exploring the mechanisms that link transcription and the DNA damage response.
*Illustrative imageGenome instability and repair
DNA is constantly damaged by chemicals in the environment and by reactive oxygen species produced inside the body. The lab investigates which repair and tolerance mechanisms act on which types of damage, using both protein biochemistry and cultured human cells.
*Illustrative imageChemicals and the epigenome
Epigenomic information can also change in response to environmental factors such as chemicals and oxidative stress. By adapting chemical safety testing with mammalian cells (genotoxicity testing), the lab is developing an experimental system that can detect these changes easily.
*Illustrative imageGenome abnormalities and innate immunity
The lab has found that when damage accumulates in a cell's own genome, immune pathways become abnormally activated. By investigating across gene mutations, epigenetic modifications, and the three-dimensional structure of chromosomes, the lab aims to understand the full picture.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Chromatin Metabolism Regulation Lab consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, visiting researchers, technical staff, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorKiyoe Ura
- Associate ProfessorAkira Sassa
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Chromatin Metabolism Regulation Lab (Ura-Sassa Lab)
Epigenome Structure and Dynamics Lab (Osakabe Lab)Faculty of Science, Department of BiologyMechanisms of mobile DNA transposons studied across scales f…
Gene Function and Morphology Lab (Ogasawara Lab)Faculty of Science, Department of BiologyResolving the spatiotemporal function–morphology paradox in …
Cell Function Regulation Lab (Matsura-Itakura Lab)Faculty of Science, Department of BiologyUnderstanding the diverse physiological mechanisms that ensu…
Biomolecular Dynamics Lab (Takano Lab)Faculty of Science, Department of BiologyElucidation of molecular mechanisms of tumor suppression, sk…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
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: “Nucleosome 1KX5 2” By Richard Wheeler (Zephyris) 2005. / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Histones that control the genome: “Chromatin and histones” Darryl Leja, NHGRI / Public domain (cropped)
- Genome instability and repair: “DNA Repair” Tom Ellenberger, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. / Public domain (cropped)
- Chemicals and the epigenome: “Scientist checks cell culture flask on microscope” Peter Saxon / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Genome abnormalities and innate immunity: “Confocal micrograph of stained HeLa” Dedyseptiadi7 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (エピゲノム構
造動態研究室 （越阪部研究室） ): “Arabidopsis Thaliana planted in Laboratory” Jucember / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped) - Related lab (遺伝子機能形態学
（小笠原研究室） ): “Siphon exhalant d'ascidie (Ciona intestinalis) (Ifremer )” Olivier Dugornay / CC BY 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (細胞機能制御研究室
（松浦・板倉研究室） ): “Gram positive budding yeast cells” Microrao / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (生命分
子動態研究室 （高野研究室） ): “Indian Muntjac fibroblast cells ( )” ZEISS Microscopy from Germany / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.