Laboratory Taro Fukao

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Our research group is studying biology of functional RNAs in hemato-immune system. Currently, we are focusing on the role of microRNAs (novel tiny functional RNAs) in mammalian hemato-immune system. microRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs that function as about 22-bp nucleotide, binding to complementary mRNAs and regulating their expression. Binding to mRNAs, microRNAs regulate the gene expression by translational modulation, mRNA cleavage or destabilization with partial or nearly perfect complementarity. They are found in animals, plants and viruses, and their sequences are conserved even among relatively distant species. Various reports have shown involvements of microRNAs in a broad range of physiological events such as development, differentiation, proliferation, morphogenesis, apoptosis and metabolism.

Currently, little is known about the role of microRNA system in haematopoiesis and immunity. Nonetheless, it is now widely considered that microRNAs would be critical regulators of immune cell development and functions. Studies of microRNA biology in immune system directly contribute to understanding of the molecular mechanism of immune system integrity. Furthermore, knowledge on the microRNA system in immunity would give clues to elucidation of molecular pathogenesis of infection and immune diseases such as autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We adopt various reverse genetics approaches including Knock-out, Knock-in and transgenic technologies in mouse system and high-throughput multi-Omics-based bioinformatics, to elucidate roles of microRNAs in hemato-immune system.


Group Leader

Taro Fukao
phone: -442

fukao@ie-freiburg.mpg.de

1976
Born in Tokyo, Japan

2002
MD degree from Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

2002-2007
Postdoctoral fellow at CIML Marseille, France and the University of Tokyo, Japan

Since 2008
Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany

 

Project Areas

  • The Role of microRNAs in the Hematopoietic and Immune System

    The Role of microRNAs in the Hematopoietic and Immune System

    Functional genomics and reverse genetic approaches to uncover mechanisms of malignant hematopoiesis. MicroRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs that function as...

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  • Identification of microRNAs differentially regulated during DC differentiation

    Identification of microRNAs differentially regulated during DC differentiation

    Multiple subsets have been identified so far in the dendritic cell (DC) lineage and shown to play distinct roles in various physiological circumstances. The...

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Recent Publications

Group Members