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Molecular Modification and Regulation Lab
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A lab that explores life phenomena through protein degradation and modification.
AboutAbout the lab
Reading life phenomena through protein degradation.
The Molecular Modification and Regulation Lab studies life phenomena controlled by protein degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome system.
Proteins in the body are synthesized when needed and degraded once they have served their purpose.
Recent research has shown that this degradation is not merely a mechanism for clearing away what is unneeded, but a regulatory system that actively controls a wide range of biological functions.
The lab also works on lipid asymmetry in the plasma membrane and on improving techniques for removing targeted proteins.
Key terms
- Ubiquitin-proteasome system
- A mechanism in which the proteasome, a degradation machine, degrades proteins tagged with the marker ubiquitin
- E3 ubiquitin ligase
- A ubiquitin-attaching enzyme that specifically recognizes target proteins and directs them to degradation
- Lipid asymmetry
- The state in which the lipid composition of the inner and outer leaflets of the plasma membrane lipid bilayer differs greatly
- Auxin-degron method
- A method that uses the plant hormone auxin to rapidly degrade a targeted protein
NewsLab news
A master's student received an Excellent Presentation Award at the 16th Joint Lipid Conference
Associate Professor Obara received the President's Award at the 59th Research Meeting of the Yeast Genetics Forum
Research on the folding and quality control of Fks1 in yeast was published in PNAS
Results on the degradation of endogenous proteins by AlissAID were published in Communications Biology
Results on the activation of Tda1, which suppresses glucose starvation signaling, were published in EMBO Reports
ResearchResearch themes
Protein degradation actively controls a wide range of life phenomena in the body. This lab investigates the life phenomena regulated by protein degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome system, from the perspectives of E3 ubiquitin ligases and biological membranes.
*Illustrative imageFunctions of E3 ubiquitin ligases
Among the enzymes that attach ubiquitin to target proteins, the lab focuses on E3 ubiquitin ligases, which recognize substrates and direct them to degradation, and in particular studies Cullin-type E3s. It identifies the substrates that are specifically ubiquitinated by E3s, and aims to elucidate the life phenomena regulated by these relationships.
*Illustrative imageMechanisms that maintain membrane homeostasis
The lab investigates how cells sense a disruption of lipid asymmetry, the difference in lipid composition between the inner and outer leaflets of the plasma membrane, and mount an adaptive response. It also focuses on how membrane-embedded proteins are produced in their correct form, and on the quality control that degrades proteins that fail to form correctly.
*Illustrative imageTechnology for removing targeted proteins
The lab works with the auxin-degron method, which introduces the mechanism that degrades proteins in response to the plant hormone auxin into organisms other than plants. Besides using it to analyze specific factors, the lab also improves the method through protein engineering and chemical approaches.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Molecular Modification and Regulation Lab consist of faculty, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakumi Kamura
- Associate ProfessorKeisuke Obara
- LecturerKohei Nishimura
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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: “VOYAGER adjustable tip spacing pipette” Labrat879 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Functions of E3 ubiquitin ligases: “E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase RNF123 - 2MA6” Ramelot, T.A., Yang, Y., Janjua, H., Kohan, E., Wang, H., Xiao, R., Acton, T.B., Everett, J.K., Montelione, G.T., Kennedy, M.A., Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG) / CC0 (cropped)
- Mechanisms that maintain membrane homeostasis: “0303 Lipid Bilayer With Various Components” OpenStax / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Technology for removing targeted proteins: “Ubiquitin surface” en:User:Rogerdodd / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Cellular Physiology Lab): “CSIRO ScienceImage 2913 Operating an Electron Microscope” Textile and Fibre Technology, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plant Molecular Signaling Lab): “Leaf epidermis” Louisa Howard (Dartmouth electron microscope facility) / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Cell-to-Cell Signaling Lab): “Plant micropropagation in laboratory” Viktor Husak / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plant Physiology Lab): “Cuticle of leaf under microscope” Tyanna / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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