Name:               Akihiko Yoshimura
Date of Birth:                 12/12/58
Place of Birth:               Saga, Japan
Home address:            
2-7-2  Komorino-machi, Kurume 830-0001 Japan

Business address:      

Molecular and Cellar Immunology
Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University
3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, JAPAN
E-mail: yakihiko@bioreg.kyushu-u.ac.jp
TEL:81-92-642-6822    FAX:81-92-642-6825

Education:

Undergraduate:       1976-1980   Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Biology and Chemistry       B.S. awarded   3/80

Graduate:        1980-1985   Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Department of Biophysics       Ph.D. awarded 3/86

Research Appointment:
1985-1987       Assistant Professor, Oita Medical School, Oita, Japan
1987-1989       Assistant Professor, Cancer  Research Institute, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
1989-1991       Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
1989-1995       Associate Professor, Cancer  Research Institute, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
1995-2000       Professor, Insutitute of Life Science, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
2001-present   Professor,  Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

Award
Japan Biochemistry Society Award  1998
Japan Immunology Society Award   2001

Reaserch

Cytokines are polypeptide hormones that mainly regulate hematopoiesis and immune system, and induce growth, differentiation and functional changes of cells. Cytokines are essential for homeostasis and defense against infectious diseases through immunoregulation. Therefore, disorders of cytokine functions are strongly related to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. However, regulatory mechanism of signaling of cytokines remains to be investigated. We have found the CIS/SOCS family and the Sprouty/Spred family, which are deeply involved in the regulation of immune system and hematopoiesis. Furthermore, we also found that these genes are involved in cancer, inflammation, obesity and allergy. We are trying to uncover the molecular mechanism of cytokine signaling regulation as well as its relationship to diseases.