KYOGASHIMA Mamoru, M.D., Ph.D. / Professor

Division of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Research Topics

1. Development of analytical techniques for sphingolipids and glycosphingolipids.

2. The roles of sphingolipids and glycosphingolipids in cardiovascular diseases, inflammations and cancer developments.

Sphingolipids (SLs) and glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are not only fundamental components of the cell membranes but also play crucial roles for cell signaling to maintain cell homeostasis. Compared to glycerophospholipids, SLs and GSLs are minor components of the cell membrane lipids but show considerable diversity in lipid portions of ceramides and/or sugar sequences. Therefore, sophisticated techniques to analyze them are still required even though current mass spectrometry has been developed. We investigate the roles of SLs and GSLs in cardiovascular diseases, inflammations and cancers progression by use of techniques we have established. We have demonstrated critical role of a specific ceramide species for apoptosis and importance of acidic GSL, sulfatides for atherothrombosis.

Representative Publications

1. Kudo A, Ishikawa T, Nakamura H, Yamada K, Nakahara S, Taguchi I, Inoue T, Sako K, Kyogashima M., Serum sulfatide levels across atheromatous plaques are significantly affected by plaque injury caused by percutaneous coronary intervention, SN Compr Clin Med, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-020-00318-9 (2020).

2. Lu Y., Harada M., Kamijo Y., Nakajima T., Tanaka N., Sugiyama E., Kyogashima M., Gonzalez FJ., Aoyama T., Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α attenuates high-cholesterol diet-induced toxicity and pro-thrombotic effects in mice, Arch Toxicol, 93, 149-161 (2019).

3. Noda A., Kato M., Miyazaki S., Kyogashima M., Separation of glycosphingolipids with titanium dioxide, Glycoconj J, 35, 493-498 (2018).

4. Kyogashima M., Tadano-Aritomi K., Aoyama T., Yusa A., Goto Y., Tamiya-Koizumi K., Ito H., Murate T., Kannagi R., Hara A., Chemical and apoptotic properties of hydroxy-ceramides containing long-chain bases with unusual alkyl chain lengths, J Biochem, 144, 95-106 (2008).

5. Kyogashima M., The role of sulfatide in thrombogenesis and haemostasis, Arch Biochem Biophys, 426, 157-162 (2004).