Keiji Kuba

Greeting

The Department of Pharmacology was newly established in October 2022 and is responsible for research and education in pharmacology. I, Keiji Kuba, have arrived from Akita University as the first professor, and after returning to my alma mater for the first time in 25 years, I am determined to make a fresh start and push forward with the development of research and education anew.

　Pharmacology is considered to be the study of understanding the interaction between drugs and living organisms, but our research goal is to find new drug targets and treatments, and our research is based on the belief that it is important to elucidate the mechanisms of disease, which will lead to the discovery of unknown principles of life. We conduct basic research by using animal models of disease and cells, we enjoy interesting ideas and discoveries that clinical research cannot offer. Our research focuses on heart failure, acute lung injury and cancers, with a focus on intercellular signal transduction and intracellular RNA regulation. Specific research topics include the regulatory mechanisms of signal transduction and energy metabolism via RNA degradation and translation, the novel role of ACE2 in the severity and sequelae of novel coronavirus infection, and the relationship between tumor immune heterogeneity and cancer invasion and metastasis. Research methods include cell biological analysis, genome editing, generation and analysis of genetically engineered mice, OMICS analysis such as various next-generation sequencing and metabolomics, in vitro biochemical experimental systems and comprehensive analysis methods of biological data are combined to analyze biological phenomena and disease pathologies in a multidimensional and multilevel manner methods. Through these studies, we hope to contribute to the development of treatments for diseases while having fun.

　Our laboratory is in charge of education of pharmacology for undergraduate and graduate students, and we accept students and post-docs from abroad. We teach students to develop their logical thinking and execution skills by learning a wide range of practical pharmacological, biochemical, molecular and cell biological concepts and techniques, while at the same time engaging in active discussions and taking an independent approach to research. Post-docs are trained, encouraged and supported to be a principal investigator. The aim is not only to train our people in professional skills as doctors and independent scientists, but also to develop human resources who can play an active role in a wide range of fields in society.

Keiji Kuba
Fukuoka, Japan
April, 2023

C.V.

• 1997-1999  Research Fellow, Department of Oncology (Prof. Toshikazu Nakamura), Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
• 1999-2001  Research Fellow, Department of Surgery and Oncology (Prof. Masao Tanaka), Kyushu University Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan
• 2001-2002  Post-doctoral Research Fellow (JSPS Fellowship), Department of Oncology (Prof. Toshikazu Nakamura), Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
• 2002-2003  Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Cellular Molecular Biophysics (Prof. Josef Penninger), University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
• 2003-2007  Post-doctoral Research Fellow (EU Marie-Curie Fellowship), Group of Prof. Josef Penninger, IMBA -Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Austrian Academy of the Sciences, Vienna, Austria
• 2007~2008  Research Lecturer, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Medical Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
• 2008~2014  Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan
• 2013~2017  PRESTO Researcher, Japan Science and Technology, Japan
• 2014~2022  Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan
• 2022~present  Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan

Selected Publication

1. Shichino Y, et al. eIF4A1 enhances LARP1-mediated translational repression during mTORC1 inhibition. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 2024.
2. An J, et al. Identification of Galectin-7 as a crucial metastatic enhancer of squamous cell carcinoma associated with immunosuppression. Oncogene 41(50):5319-5330, 2022.
3. Yamaguchi T, et al. ACE2-like carboxypeptidase B38-CAP protects from SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury. Nature Communications 12(1):6791, 2021.
4. Minato T, et al. B38-CAP is a bacteria-derived ACE2-like enzyme that suppresses hypertension and cardiac dysfunction. Nature Communications 11(1):1058, 2020.
5. Fujiwara S, et al. Pulmonary phagocyte-derived NPY and Y1 receptor axis controls the pathology of severe influenza virus infection. Nature Microbiology 4(2):258-268, 2019.
6. Yamaguchi T, et al. The CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex controls Atg7-dependent cell death and heart function. Science Signaling 11(516): eaan3638, 2018.
7. Sato T, et al. Apelin is a positive regulator of ACE2 in failing hearts. Journal of Clinical Investigation 123: 5203-5211, 2013.
8. Morita M, et al. The lipid mediator protectin D1 inhibits influenza virus replication and improves severe influenza. Cell 153: 112-125, 2013.
9. Neely GG, et al. A global in vivo Drosophila RNAi screen identifies NOT3 as a conserved regulator of heart function. Cell 141: 142-153, 2010.
10. Imai Y, et al. Identification of oxidative stress and Toll-like receptor 4 signaling as a key pathway of acute lung injury. Cell 133: 235-249, 2008.
11. Kuba K, et al. Impaired heart contractility in Apelin gene-deficient mice associated with aging and pressure overload. Circulation Research 101: e32-42, 2007.
12. Kuba K, et al. A critical role of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in SARS pathogenesis. Nature Medicine 11: 875-879, 2005.
13. Imai Y, et al. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 protects from severe acute lung failure. Nature 436: 112-116, 2005.