Contact Address: 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo

Profile of Prof. Hirokawa

Name: Nobutaka Hirokawa

Contact address: 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo.

Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

e-mail: hirokawa(atMark)m.u-tokyo.ac.jp

tel: +81-3-5841-3336

fax: +81-3-5802-8646

Date of Birth: March 25, 1946

EDUCATION :

1971 - M.D., University of Tokyo, Medical School

1978 - Ph.D., Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine (Neurobiology, Cell Biology)

1980 - Postdoctoral, University of California San Francisco (Cell Biology, Neurobiology)

1981 - Postdoctoral, Washington University, School of Medicine (Cell Biology, Neurobiolgy)

TEACHING AND RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS :

•Professor and Chairman of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Hongo, Tokyo ; from October 1983 to present.

•Associate Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University, School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; from April 1983 to December 1983.

•Research Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, Washington University, School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; from December 1981 to March 1983.

•Research Fellow (The George Meany Postdoctoral Fellow of (MDAA) In Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Washington University, School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, from July 1980 to November 1981.

•Reseach Fellow (The Fogarty International Exchanging Fellow of NIH in Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, from April 1979 to June 1980.

•Assistant Professor of Anatomy (Tenured), University of Tokyo, Medical School, from April 1972 to November 1981.

EDITOR/ASSOCIATE EDITOR/EDITORIAL BOARD :

•Cell

•Science

•Current Opinion in Cell Biology

•Neuron

•Journal of Cell Biology

•Trends in Cell Biology

•Journal of Cell Science

•Experimental Cell Research

•European Journal of Biochemistry

•Progress in Neurobiology

•Journal of Neurocytology

•European Journal of Cell Biology

•Neuroscience Research

•Cell & Tissue Research

•Histochemistry and Cell Biology

•Cell Structure and Function

•Current Opinion in Neurobiology

•Anatomical Record

•Genes To Cells

HONORS :

•Seto Prize 1985 from the Japanese Society of Electron Microscopy

•Tsukahara Prize 1987 from the Brain Science Foundation (Japan)

•The highest Prize 1991 from the Japanese Society for Medical Sciences

•Uehara Prize 1995 from the Uehara Life Science Foundation (Japan)

•Asahi Prize 1996 from the Asahi Newspaper Company

•Takeda Medical Prize 1998 from the Takeda Science Foundation

•The Japan Academy Prize 1999 from the Japan Academy

•Fujiwara Prize 1999 from Fujiwara Foundation

•Member of The Japan Academy (Section II, Department 7 (Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry)) (December 13. 2004)

Publication Lists

1. The mechanisms of kinesin motor motility: lessons from the monomeric motor KIF1A. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2009 Dec;10(12):877-84.

2. KIF26A is an unconventional kinesin and regulates GDNF-Ret signaling in enteric neuronal development. Cell. 2009 Nov 13;139(4):802-13.

3. Kinesin superfamily motor proteins and intracellular transport. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2009 Oct;10(10):682-96. Review.

4.KIF1Bbeta- and KIF1A-mediated axonal transport of presynaptic regulator Rab3 occurs in a GTP-dependent manner through DENN/MADD. Nat Cell Biol. 2008 Nov;10(11):1269-79. Epub 2008 Oct 12.

5.Structural model for strain-dependent microtubule activation of Mg-ADP release from kinesin. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2008 Oct;15(10):1067-75. Epub 2008 Sep 21.

6.Intracellular transport and kinesin superfamily proteins, KIFs: structure, function, and dynamics. Physiol Rev. 2008 Jul;88(3):1089-118. Review.

7.Disruption of KIF17-Mint1 interaction by CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation: a molecular model of kinesin-cargo release. Nat Cell Biol. 2008 Jan;10(1):19-29. Epub 2007 Dec 9.

8.Neuronal polarity and the kinesin superfamily proteins. Nakata T, Hirokawa N. Sci STKE. 2007 Feb 6;2007(372):pe6. Review.

9.mRNA transport in dendrites: RNA granules, motors, and tracks. J Neurosci. 2006 Jul 5;26(27):7139-42. Review

10.KIF4 motor regulates activity-dependent neuronal survival by suppressing PARP-1 enzymatic activity. Cell. 2006 Apr 21;125(2):371-83.

11.Nodal flow and the generation of left-right asymmetry. Hirokawa N, Tanaka Y, Okada Y, Takeda S. Cell. 2006 Apr 7;125(1):33-45. Review.

12.Analysis of the kinesin superfamily: insights into structure and function. Trends Cell Biol. 2005 Sep;15(9):467-76. Review.

13.Mechanism of nodal flow: a conserved symmetry breaking event in left-right axis determination. Cell. 2005 May 20;121(4):633-44.

14.FGF-induced vesicular release of Sonic hedgehog and retinoic acid in leftward nodal flow is critical for left-right determination. Nature. 2005 May 12;435(7039):172-7.

15.The KIF3 motor transports N-cadherin and organizes the developing neuroepithelium. Nat Cell Biol. 2005 May;7(5):474-82. Epub 2005 Apr 17. Erratum in: Nat Cell Biol. 2005 Jun;7(6):637.

16.Molecular motors and mechanisms of directional transport in neurons. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005 Mar;6(3):201-14. Review.

17.Kinesin superfamily proteins and their various functions and dynamics. Exp Cell Res. 2004 Nov 15;301(1):50-9. Review.

18.Molecular motors in neuronal development, intracellular transport and diseases. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2004 Oct;14(5):564-73. Review.

19.Kinesin transports RNA: isolation and characterization of an RNA-transporting granule. Neuron. 2004 Aug 19;43(4):513-25.

20.KIF1A alternately uses two loops to bind microtubules. Science. 2004 Jul 30;305(5684):678-83.

21.Gem GTPase and tau: morphological changes induced by gem GTPase in cho cells are antagonized by tau. J Biol Chem. 2004 Jun 25;279(26):27272-7. Epub 2004 Apr 15.

22.A common mechanism for microtubule destabilizers-M type kinesins stabilize curling of the protofilament using the class-specific neck and loops. Cell. 2004 Feb 20;116(4):591-602.

23.Biochemical and molecular characterization of diseases linked to motor proteins. Trends Biochem Sci. 2003 Oct;28(10):558-65. Review.

24.Microtubules provide directional cues for polarized axonal transport through interaction with kinesin motor head. J Cell Biol. 2003 Sep 15;162(6):1045-55.

25.Processivity of the single-headed kinesin KIF1A through biased binding to tubulin. Nature. 2003 Jul 31;424(6948):574-7.

26.Kinesin superfamily protein 2A (KIF2A) functions in suppression of collateral branch extension. Cell. 2003 Jul 25;114(2):229-39.

27.Kinesin superfamily proteins (KIFs) in the mouse transcriptome. Genome Res. 2003 Jun;13(6B):1455-65.

28.KIF17 dynamics and regulation of NR2B trafficking in hippocampal neurons. J Neurosci. 2003 Jan 1;23(1):131-40.

29.Mouse models of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Trends Genet. 2002 Dec;18(12):S39-44. Review.

30.Overexpression of motor protein KIF17 enhances spatial and working memory in transgenic mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Oct 29;99(22):14500-5. Epub 2002 Oct 21.

31.MAP2 is required for dendrite elongation, PKA anchoring in dendrites, and proper PKA signal transduction. J Cell Biol. 2002 Aug 5;158(3):541-9. Epub 2002 Aug 5.

32.Role of KIFC3 motor protein in Golgi positioning and integration. J Cell Biol. 2002 Jul 22;158(2):293-303. Epub 2002 Jul 22.

33.Glutamate-receptor-interacting protein GRIP1 directly steers kinesin to dendrites. Nature. 2002 May 2;417(6884):83-7.

34.Molecular motor KIF1C is not essential for mouse survival and motor-dependent retrograde Golgi apparatus-to-endoplasmic reticulum transport. Mol Cell Biol. 2002 Feb;22(3):866-73.

35.Differential gene expression of organic anion transporters in male and female rats. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2002 Jan 11;290(1):482-7.

36.Influencing science policy in Japan. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2001 Dec;2(12):933-5.

37.KIFC3, a microtubule minus end-directed motor for the apical transport of annexin XIIIb-associated Triton-insoluble membranes. J Cell Biol. 2001 Oct 1;155(1):77-88.

38.Synergistic effects of MAP2 and MAP1B knockout in neuronal migration, dendritic outgrowth, and microtubule organization. J Cell Biol. 2001 Oct 1;155(1):65-76.

39.All kinesin superfamily protein, KIF, genes in mouse and human. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Jun 19;98(13):7004-11. Review.

40.Determination of Left-Right Asymmetry: Role of Cilia and KIF3 Motor Proteins. News Physiol Sci. 2000 Feb;15:56. No abstract available.

41.Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A caused by mutation in a microtubule motor KIF1Bbeta. Cell. 2001 Jun 1;105(5):587-97. Erratum in: Cell 2001 Jul 13;106(1):127.

42.Switch-based mechanism of kinesin motors. Nature. 2001 May 24;411(6836):439-45.

43.Preparation of recombinant kinesin superfamily proteins using the baculovirus system. Methods Mol Biol. 2001;164:57-63. Review. No abstract available.

44.Stirring up development with the heterotrimeric kinesin KIF3. Traffic. 2000 Jan;1(1):29-34. Review.

45.A novel motor, KIF13A, transports mannose-6-phosphate receptor to plasma membrane through direct interaction with AP-1 complex. Cell. 2000 Nov 10;103(4):569-81.

46.Moving on to the cargo problem of microtubule-dependent motors in neurons. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2000 Oct;10(5):566-73. Review.

47.Oligomeric tubulin in large transporting complex is transported via kinesin in squid giant axons. Cell. 2000 Sep 29;103(1):141-55.

48.The C-terminal tail domain of neurofilament protein-H (NF-H) forms the crossbridges and regulates neurofilament bundle formation. J Cell Sci. 2000 Nov;113 Pt 21:3861-9.

49.Defects in axonal elongation and neuronal migration in mice with disrupted tau and map1b genes. J Cell Biol. 2000 Sep 4;150(5):989-1000.

50.KIF5C, a novel neuronal kinesin enriched in motor neurons. J Neurosci. 2000 Sep 1;20(17):6374-84.

51.Kinesin superfamily motor protein KIF17 and mLin-10 in NMDA receptor-containing vesicle transport. Science. 2000 Jun 9;288(5472):1796-802.

52.Kinesin superfamily protein 3 (KIF3) motor transports fodrin-associating vesicles important for neurite building. J Cell Biol. 2000 Mar 20;148(6):1255-65.

53.Muscle weakness, hyperactivity, and impairment in fear conditioning in tau-deficient mice. Neurosci Lett. 2000 Feb 4;279(3):129-32.

54.15 A resolution model of the monomeric kinesin motor, KIF1A. Cell. 2000 Jan 21;100(2):241-52.

55.Mechanism of the single-headed processivity: diffusional anchoring between the K-loop of kinesin and the C terminus of tubulin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Jan 18;97(2):640-5.

56.Abnormal nodal flow precedes situs inversus in iv and inv mice. Mol Cell. 1999 Oct;4(4):459-68.

57.Impairment of inhibitory synaptic transmission in mice lacking synapsin I. J Cell Biol. 1999 May 31;145(5):1039-48.

58.Left-right asymmetry and kinesin superfamily protein KIF3A: new insights in determination of laterality and mesoderm induction by kif3A-/- mice analysis. J Cell Biol. 1999 May 17;145(4):825-36.

59.A processive single-headed motor: kinesin superfamily protein KIF1A. Science. 1999 Feb 19;283(5405):1152-7.

60.Randomization of left-right asymmetry due to loss of nodal cilia generating leftward flow of extraembryonic fluid in mice lacking KIF3B motor protein. Cell. 1998 Dec 11;95(6):829-37. Erratum in: Cell 1999 Oct 1;99(1):117.

61.Gene targeting studies begin to reveal the function of neurofilament proteins. J Cell Biol. 1998 Oct 5;143(1):1-4. Review. No abstract available. Erratum in: J Cell Biol 1998 Nov 16;143(4):1142.

62.Application of caged fluorescein-labeled tubulin to studies of microtubule dynamics and transport of tubulin molecules in axons. Methods Enzymol. 1998;291:348-56. No abstract available.

63.Targeted disruption of mouse conventional kinesin heavy chain, kif5B, results in abnormal perinuclear clustering of mitochondria. Cell. 1998 Jun 26;93(7):1147-58.

64.Defect in synaptic vesicle precursor transport and neuronal cell death in KIF1A motor protein-deficient mice. J Cell Biol. 1998 Apr 20;141(2):431-41.

65.Golgi vesiculation and lysosome dispersion in cells lacking cytoplasmic dynein. J Cell Biol. 1998 Apr 6;141(1):51-9.

66.Visualization of the dynamics of synaptic vesicle and plasma membrane proteins in living axons. J Cell Biol. 1998 Feb 9;140(3):659-74.

67.Kinesin and dynein superfamily proteins in organelle transport and cell division. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1998 Feb;10(1):60-73. Review.

68.Kinesin and dynein superfamily proteins and the mechanism of organelle transport. Science. 1998 Jan 23;279(5350):519-26. Review.

69.The mechanisms of fast and slow transport in neurons: identification and characterization of the new kinesin superfamily motors. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 1997 Oct;7(5):605-14. Review.

70.Identification and classification of 16 new kinesin superfamily (KIF) proteins in mouse genome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Sep 2;94(18):9654-9. Erratum in: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1999 Mar 30;96(7):4214.

71.Delayed development of nervous system in mice homozygous for disrupted microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP1B) gene. J Cell Biol. 1997 Jun 30;137(7):1615-26.

72.KIFC2 is a novel neuron-specific C-terminal type kinesin superfamily motor for dendritic transport of multivesicular body-like organelles. Neuron. 1997 Mar;18(3):425-38.

73.The molecular mechanism of organelle transport along microtubules: the identification and characterization of KIFs (kinesin superfamily proteins). Cell Struct Funct. 1996 Oct;21(5):357-67. Review.

74.Microtubule-associated proteins regulate microtubule function as the track for intracellular membrane organelle transports. Cell Struct Funct. 1996 Oct;21(5):283-95.

75.Visualization of slow axonal transport in vivo. Science. 1996 Aug 9;273(5276):784-8.

76.Cloning and characterization of KAP3: a novel kinesin superfamily-associated protein of KIF3A/3B. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Aug 6;93(16):8443-8.

77.Active transport of photoactivated tubulin molecules in growing axons revealed by a new electron microscopic analysis. J Cell Biol. 1996 Jun;133(6):1347-53.

78.Organelle transport along microtubules - the role of KIFs. Trends Cell Biol. 1996 Apr;6(4):135-41.

79.Selective stabilization of tau in axons and microtubule-associated protein 2C in cell bodies and dendrites contributes to polarized localization of cytoskeletal proteins in mature neurons. J Cell Biol. 1996 Feb;132(4):667-79.

80.mRNA expression of KIF1A, KIF1B, KIF2, KIF3A, KIF3B, KIF4, KIF5, and cytoplasmic dynein during axonal regeneration. J Neurosci. 1996 Jan;16(1):31-5.

81.Synapsin I deficiency results in the structural change in the presynaptic terminals in the murine nervous system. J Cell Biol. 1995 Dec;131(6 Pt 2):1789-800.

82.Point mutation of adenosine triphosphate-binding motif generated rigor kinesin that selectively blocks anterograde lysosome membrane transport. J Cell Biol. 1995 Nov;131(4):1039-53.

83.KIF3A/B: a heterodimeric kinesin superfamily protein that works as a microtubule plus end-directed motor for membrane organelle transport. J Cell Biol. 1995 Sep;130(6):1387-99.

84.Polarity orientation and assembly process of microtubule bundles in nocodazole-treated, MAP2c-transfected COS cells. Mol Biol Cell. 1995 Aug;6(8):981-96.

85.Three-dimensional structure of the kinesin head-microtubule complex. Nature. 1995 Jul 20;376(6537):274-7.

86.The neuron-specific kinesin superfamily protein KIF1A is a unique monomeric motor for anterograde axonal transport of synaptic vesicle precursors. Cell. 1995 Jun 2;81(5):769-80.

87.Tubulin dynamics in neuronal axons of living zebrafish embryos. Neuron. 1995 Jun;14(6):1257-64. Erratum in: Neuron 1995 Aug;15(2):following 484.

88.Identification and molecular evolution of new dynein-like protein sequences in rat brain. J Cell Sci. 1995 May;108 ( Pt 5):1883-93.

89.Two distinct functions of the carboxyl-terminal tail domain of NF-M upon neurofilament assembly: cross-bridge formation and longitudinal elongation of filaments. J Cell Biol. 1995 Apr;129(2):411-29.

90.The activation of protein kinase A pathway selectively inhibits anterograde axonal transport of vesicles but not mitochondria transport or retrograde transport in vivo. J Neurosci. 1995 Apr;15(4):3053-64.

91.KIF2 is a new microtubule-based anterograde motor that transports membranous organelles distinct from those carried by kinesin heavy chain or KIF3A/B. J Cell Biol. 1995 Apr;129(1):157-67.

92.Sorting mechanisms of tau and MAP2 in neurons: suppressed axonal transit of MAP2 and locally regulated microtubule binding. Neuron. 1995 Feb;14(2):421-32.

93.KIF1B, a novel microtubule plus end-directed monomeric motor protein for transport of mitochondria. Cell. 1994 Dec 30;79(7):1209-20.

94.Direct visualization of the microtubule lattice seam both in vitro and in vivo. J Cell Biol. 1994 Dec;127(6 Pt 2):1965-71.

95.A novel microtubule-based motor protein (KIF4) for organelle transports, whose expression is regulated developmentally. J Cell Biol. 1994 Oct;127(1):187-201.