To understand the mechanism that underlies various cellular processes is crucial to know the cause of diseases. Many cellular processes are regulated by posttranslational modification of proteins, such as protein phosphorylation in a manner dependent on the spatio-temporal dynamics, and disruption of the phosphorylation signal gives rise to malignant progression of cancer. In addition, many cellular processes require heat shock proteins, which play roles as molecular chaperones to support newly synthesized protein and misfolded proteins. Interestingly, heat shock proteins are overexpressed in various types of cancer. The following projects are currently underway.
1. Mechanism of cell division
2. Relationship between failure in cell division and cancer malignant progression
3. Regulation of cellular processes by heat shock proteins
4. Role of overexpression of heat shock proteins in cancer development