Tetsu Kamitani, M.D., Ph.D. 1990, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Cardiology Contact Information

Research Interests: Post-translational modification; regulation by ubiquitination; conjugation with ubiquitin-like protein; SUMO; NEDD8; proteolysis by proteasome; function of NUB1; ubiquitination by Ro52; ubiquitination by TRIM5

The research in my laboratory is directed at understanding functional changes of target proteins after post-translational modification with ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like proteins such as NEDD8 and SUMO/sentrin. Currently, we are investigating ubiquitination by TRIM family members, including Ro52, that are new types of E3 ubiquitin ligases. The ubiquitination by Ro52 is involved in the Unp-mediated tumorigenesis.

Depending on the student’s interests, a tutorial in my laboratory would provide experience with genetics of mammalian cells, yeast two-hybrid cloning, expression cloning using COS cells, and characterization of newly identified gene products.
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Wada H, Yeh ETH, Kamitani T (2000) A dominant negative Ubc12 mutant sequesters NEDD8 and inhibits NEDD8-conjugation in vivo. J Biol Chem 275: 17008-17015.

Kito K, Yeh ETH, Kamitani T (2001) NUB1, a NEDD8-interacting protein, is induced by interferon and downregulates the NEDD8 expression. J Biol Chem 276: 20603-20609.

Kamitani T, Kito K, Kamitani TF, Yeh ETH (2001) Targeting of NEDD8 and its conjugates for proteasomal degradation by NUB1. J Biol Chem 276: 46655-46660.

Akey DT, Zhu X, Dyer M, Li A, Sorensen A, Blackshaw S, Fukuda-Kamitani T, Daiger SP, Craft CM, Kamitani T, Sohocki M (2002) The inherited blindness associated protein AIPL1 interacts with the cell cycle regulator protein NUB1. Hum Mol Genet 11: 2723-2733.

Tanaka T, Kawashima H, Yeh ETH, Kamitani T (2003) Regulation of the NEDD8 conjugation system by a splicing variant, NUB1L. J Biol Chem 278: 32905-32913.

Tanaka T, Yeh ETH, Kamitani T (2004) NUB1-mediated targeting of the ubiquitin precursor UbC1 for its C-terminal hydrolysis. Eur J Biochem 271: 972-982.

Wada K, Kamitani T (2006) Autoantigen Ro52 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 339: 415-421.

Tanji K, Tanaka T, Mori F, Kito K, Takahashi H, Wakabayashi K, Kamitani T (2006) NUB1 suppresses the formation of Lewy body-like inclusions by proteasomal degradation of synphilin-1. Am J Pathol, in press.

Program Affiliation:
Program in Molecular Pathology