NEW!! The 59th Fujihara Seminar "Zinc Signal and Cellular Functions" will be held on October 29-31, 2010. CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS!! Go to Fugihara Seminar Page

Despite their increasing prevalence in developed countries, the molecular mechanisms behind autoimmune diseases and allergy remain poorly understood. The eventual goal of Hirano's Research Group (Lab. Developmental Immunology, Osaka Univ, Osaka and the Cytokine Signaling Research Group, RCIA, RIKEN, Yokohama) is to contribute to the elucidation of the molecular and immunological mechanisms of autoimmune diseases and allergy from the viewpoint of signal transduction within the immune system. In addition, we are currently focusing on Zinc and Zinc-signaling and their roles in development, regenerative medicine, immunity, allergy, cancer metasatasis.

More than two decades ago, we cloned interleukin 6 (IL-6) in 1986 (Hirano et al, Nature 1986), and are continuously exploring molecular processes related to IL-6 and the IL-6 receptor, focusing on STAT3 (Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3), various members of the Gab family of proteins and, most recently, the largely unknown universe of signaling through zinc transporter proteins, to reveal the role of zinc in immune functions.

The purposes of our research team are 1) elucidation of the roles of cytokines, in particular gp130 F759 mutation in autoimmune diseases, 2) clarification of the signaling mechanisms of cytokine actions and regulation of immune response, 3) clarification of molecular mechanisms of mast cell degranulation and the roles of mast cells in inflammation and autoimmune diseases, 4) clarification of the molecular mechanisms of zinc transporters and zinc-signaling, and 5) clarification of the roles of zinc, zinc transporters and zinc-signaling in development, regenerative medicine, immunity, allergy and cancer. This last project is intimately related with other projects, #1-#4.

Two Types of Zinc Signaling

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