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Toward a Thorough Understanding of the Molecular Machinery of Life and Its Application
Here in Yuki Yamaguchi’s laboratory at the School of Life Science and Technology, we are unraveling the mystery of life using interdisciplinary approaches including biochemistry, genetics, genomics, and proteomics. We also strive to translate our new knowledge into practical applications for the benefit of humanity. Below are our major areas of research. 1. Control Mechanisms of Genome Expression
We seek to fully understand the process of epigenetic regulation, transcription initiation, elongation and termination, and RNA processing, all of which are necessary to make functional RNAs from the genome. Although the cells in our body have the same set of genes, they perform a wide variety of functions. This is made possible by a sophisticated cellular machinery that controls the spatiotemporal expression of the genome. We have identified and characterized a number of protein factors involved in this process. We also seek to understand how the genome generates diverse transcriptomes. 2. Chemical Biology for Drug Development
Small molecules are extremely useful tools. Understanding how a particular compound affects complex biological systems helps us elucidate unknown biological networks in which its target protein is involved. In addition, these insights can be applied to drug development. Chemical biology is an interdisciplinary field that addresses these issues, and we conduct research aimed at new drug development using unique technologies to analyze interactions (proteomics) in combination with genetic screens (genomics).