"Cellular memory” means that cells become different from another one by changing their genetic program during the development of multicellular organisms, and maintain their chosen fate over many cell divisions. "Metabolic flux regulation" by compartmentalization of enzymes and substrate channeling is a common theme in many enzymatic pathways. It is becoming clear that some of metabolic enzymes related to gene regulation are compartmentalized in nuclei.

 In this study, a research group, led by Professor Kazuhiko Igarashi, Assistant Professor Yasutake Katoh at Department of Biochemistry and the Center for Regulatory Epigenome and Diseases (CRED), Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and Global COE for Conquest of Signal Transduction Diseases with Network Medicine, and Director Tetsuo Noda at Clinical Research group, Genome center, the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (JFCR), discovered that a complex composed of new enzyme, methionine adenosyltransferase II (MATII), regulates gene repression and histone methylation involved in epigenetic regulation. MATII serves as a novel transcriptional corepressor by interacting with chromatin regulators, and its complex supplies substrate for histone methylation.

 The research results have been published in Molecular Cell on March 4, 2011. The paper is entitled "Methionine adenosyltransferase II serves as a transcriptional corepressor of Maf oncoprotein".

More information (Japanese)

[Contact]

Professor Kazuhiko Igarashi

Assistant Professor Yasutake Katoh

Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

TEL: +81-22-717-7596, FAX: +81-22-717-7598

[Public Relations]

Associate Professor Fuji Nagami

Tohoku Neuroscience Global COE

Tel: +81-22-717-7908, Fax: +81-22-717-7923

E-mail: f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)