Ryoichi Tanaka, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral research fellow

Education
Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan, 2004

Lab
Shinichi Takayama

Research Interests
BAG3 protein binds to and regulates Hsp70 chaperone activity. The BAG3 protein contains a WW domain and a prolinerich region with SH3-binding motifs, suggesting that it may interact with proteins relevant to signal transduction, recruiting Hsp70 to signaling complexes and altering cell response. BAG3 overexpression has been observed in human cancers. We showed that gene transfer-mediated overexpression of BAG3 increased motility of several human cancer cell lines, including breast cancer and prostate cancer cell lines before. Conversely, reduction of BAG3 protein by RNA interference decreased cell motility in some epithelial tumor lines tested. I am investigating the contribution of this overexpression in cancer cells to tumor motility, invasion or metastasis.

Recent Publications
Tanaka R, Saito T, Shijubo N, Takehara M, Yamada G, Kawabata I, Itoh Y, Kudo R. (2004) Expression of uteroglobin in normal and carcinogenic endometrium and influence of hormone replacement therapy. Int J Cancer. 109(1):43-8.

Tanaka R, Saito T, Ashihara K, Nishimura M, Mizumoto H, Kudo R. (2003) Three-dimensional coculture of endometrial cancer cells and fibroblasts in human placenta derived collagen sponges and expression matrix metalloproteinases in these cells. Gynecol Oncol. 90(2):297-304.

Contact Details:
email: tanaka@bbri.org, tel. 617-658-7889