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Molecular Biology (Biochemistry I) Lab
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A lab exploring therapeutic targets for cancer and the mechanisms that protect the genome.
AboutAbout the lab
Seeking cancer therapies from molecular mechanisms
The Shimada Lab studies everything from how genetic information is inherited and its expression regulated to the search for therapeutic targets in cancer and the development of treatment strategies.
Targeting hard-to-treat cancers such as breast and prostate cancer, the lab examines proteins involved in cancer cell proliferation to find therapeutic targets.
The lab also studies biological phenomena caused by proline isomerization, the link between abnormal calcium signaling and cancer, and the mechanisms that keep the genome stable.
Third-year medical students are assigned to the lab through the Basic Medicine Seminar, and graduate students are recruited on an ongoing basis.
Key terms
- Estrogen receptor
- A receptor that binds estrogen, a female sex hormone (ERα). In ER-positive breast cancer, endocrine therapy that blocks its activity is used
- Calcineurin
- A phosphatase that mediates calcium signaling. It is the target molecule of the immunosuppressant FK506
- Proline isomerization
- A change in which the peptide bond immediately preceding a proline switches between the cis and trans forms, leading to a change in three-dimensional structure
NewsLab news
Research by Assistant Professor Tsubota: an undifferentiated cell state involved in the spontaneous regression of neuroblastoma was discovered in a mouse model
Assistant Professor Shotaro Sakakibara joins the lab (from April)
The mechanism of degradation of E2F1, a transcription factor that promotes malignant progression of cancer, was elucidated (PNAS)
ResearchResearch themes
The lab conducts integrated research ranging from clarifying the mechanisms of inheritance and expression regulation of genetic information to identifying therapeutic targets in cancer and developing treatment strategies. The main research themes are therapeutic targets in cancer, the mechanisms that maintain genome stability, and the checkpoint mechanisms required for cell proliferation.
*Illustrative imageTherapeutic targets and strategies for hard-to-treat cancers
In breast cancer cells, suppressing the protein FKBP52 accelerated degradation of the estrogen receptor (ERα), reducing its levels and strongly suppressing proliferation. The same was true in treatment-resistant cells. In prostate cancer as well, FKBP51 and FKBP52 are known to be required for proliferation.
*Illustrative imageProline isomerization and biological phenomena
Prolyl isomerases may be involved in diverse physiological functions such as replication, transcription, and degradation, and their abnormalities are associated with conditions such as cancer and aging. In addition to modifications such as phosphorylation, the lab is pursuing the idea that conformational changes caused by proline isomerization may govern biological phenomena.
*Illustrative imageAbnormal calcium signaling and cancer
The lab has shown that calcineurin protects the estrogen receptor in breast cancer from degradation, strengthening its function and contributing to recurrence. E2F1 and c-Myc, which are involved in proliferation, are also stabilized by calcium signaling, and inhibiting this is expected to become a new treatment strategy.
*Illustrative imageHistone phosphorylation and gene transcription
The lab has found that the protein Chk1 activates transcription of proliferation-related genes through phosphorylation of histone H3. After DNA damage, the phosphatase PP1 suppresses this transcription, and the lab has shown that NIPP1 is important for this regulation.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, research students, and technical assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorMidori Shimada
- Assistant ProfessorShoma Tsubota
- Assistant ProfessorShotaro Sakakibara
- Assistant ProfessorShigeaki Sugiyama
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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: “Smartphone colorimetry – 96-well microplate with serial dilutions of coloured solutions” Mdc-science / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Therapeutic targets and strategies for hard-to-treat cancers: “Invasive Breast Cancer in 3D” Sshah74 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Proline isomerization and biological phenomena: “Alpha fold model for DmBCA - Drosophila melanogaster” AlphaFold Data Copyright (2021) DeepMind Technologies Limited. Jumper, J et al. Highly accurate protein structure prediction with AlphaFold. Nature (2021). Varadi, M et al. AlphaFold Protein Structure Database: massively expanding the structural coverage of protein-sequence space with high-accuracy models. Nucleic Acids Research (2021). / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Abnormal calcium signaling and cancer: “Crystal structure of the CavAb voltage-gated calcium channel(wild-type, 2.7A)” Tang, L., Gamal EL-Din, T.M., Swanson, T.M., Pryde, D.C., Scheuer, T., Zheng, N., Catterall, W.A. / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Histone phosphorylation and gene transcription: “Cryo-EM structure of the human nucleosome Histone H4 8KB5” Hirai S, Kujirai T, Akatsu M, Ogasawara M, Ehara H, Sekine SI, Ohkawa Y, Takizawa Y, Kurumizaka H / CC0 (cropped)
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- Related lab (分子細胞化学【生化学第二】): “Biochemistry Lab - Tirunelveli Medical College” Kallidaimaniac (talk) / Public domain (cropped)
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