Prof. Atsushi Asakura

University of Minnesota, USA

Email: asakura@umn.edu

Qualifications

1993 Ph.D., University of Tokyo Graduate School, Molecular Biology
1987 M.Sc., Chiba University Graduate School, Biology
1984 B.Sc., Chiba University, Biology

Publications (Selected)

1. A. Asakura, M. Kawamura. ATPase inhibitory activities found in the soluble fraction of an ascidian (Halocynthia rotezi) muscle.J. UOEH9: 29-33, 1987.
2. A. Asakura, Y.-I. Nabeshima, K. Maruyama. In vitro synthesis of connectin in an extract of chicken embryo muscles. Zool. Sci.4,: 929-931, 1987.
3. H. Sugita, I. Nonaka, Y. Itoh, A. Asakura, D. H. Hu, S. Kimura, K. Maruyama. Is nebulin the product of duchenne muscular dystrophy gene? Proc. Japan Acad. 63: 107-110, 1987.
4. Fujisawa-Sehara, Y. Nabeshima, T. Komiya, T. Uetsuki, A. Asakura, Y. Hosoda, Y.-I. Nabeshima. Differential trans-activation of muscle-specific regulatory elements including the MLC box by chicken MyoD, myogenin, and MRF4.J. Biol. Chem. 267: 10031-10038, 1992.
5. Y. Nabeshima, T. Uetsuki, T. Komiya, Y. Nabeshima, A. Asakura, K. Kamijo, T. Yagami, A. Fujisawa-Sehara. Positive and negative regulation in muscle. Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol. 46: 343-353, 1992.
6. A. Asakura, A. Fujisawa-Sehara, T. Komiya, Y. Nabeshima, and Y.-I. Nabeshima. MyoD and myogenin act on the chicken myosin light chain 1 gene as distinct transcriptional factors. Mol. Cell. Biol. 13: 7153-7162, 1993.
7. A. Asakura, G. E. Lyons, S. J. Tapscott. The regulation of myoD gene expression: Conserved elements mediated expression in embryonic axial muscle. Dev. Biol. 171, 386-398, 1995.
8. M. B. McCormick, R M. Tamini, L. Snider, A. Asakura, D. Bergstrom, S. J. Tapscott. Neuro D2 and neuro D3: Distinct expression patterns and transcriptional activation potentials within the neuro D gene family. Mol. Cell. Biol.16:5792-5800, 1996.
9. Kablar, K. Krastel, C. Ying, A. Asakura, S. J. Tapscott, M. A Rudnicki. MyoD and Myf-5 differentially regulate the development of limb versus trunk skeletal muscle. Development 124: 4729-4738, 1997.
10. A. Asakura, S. J. Tapscott. Apoptosis of epaxial myotome in Danforth's short-tail (Sd) mice in somites that form following notochord degeneration.Dev. Biol. 203: 276-289, 1998.
11. Kablar, A. Asakura, K. Krastel, C. Ying, L. L. May, S. J. Tapscott, D. Goldhamer, M. A. Rudnicki. MyoD and Myf-5 specify skeletal musculature in respect to their embryonic origin.Biochem. Cell. Biol. 76: 1079-1091, 1999.
12. L. A. Sabourin, A. Girgis-Gabardo, P. Seal, A. Asakura, M. A. Rudnicki. Reduced differentiation potential of primary MyoD-/- myogenic cells derived from adult skeletal muscle.J. Cell. Biol. 144: 631-643, 1999.
13. J. M. Olson*, A. Asakura*, L. Snider, R. Hawkes, A. Strand, S. J. Tapscott, NeuroD2 is necessary for normal development and survival of central nervous system neurons. Dev. Biol. 238: 174-187, 2001. (*These authors contributed equally)
14. A. Asakura, M. Komaki, M. A. Rudnicki. Muscle satellite cells are multipotential stem cells that exhibit myogenic, osteogenic, and adipogenic differentiation. Differentiation 68: 245-253, 2001.
15. A. Asakura, M. A. Rudnicki. Side population cells from diverse adult tissues are capable of in vitro hematopoietic differentiation. Exp. Hematol. 30: 1339-1345, 2002.
16. A. Asakura, P. Seale, A. Girgis-Gabardo, M. A. Rudnicki. Myogenic specification of side population cells in skeletal muscle. J. Cell Biol. 159, 123-134, 2002.
17. M. Komaki, A. Asakura, M. A. Rudnicki, S. Cheifetz, J. Sodek. MyoD enhances BMP-induced osteogenic differentiation of myogenic cell cultures. J Cell Sci. 117: 1457-68, 2004.
18. C. J. Storbeck, K. Daniel, Y. H. Zhang, J. Lunde, A. Scime,A. Asakura, B. Jasmin, R. G. Korneluk, L. A. Sabourin. Ste20-like kinase SLK displays myofiber type specificity and is involved in C2C12 myoblast differentiation. Muscle Nerve 29: 553-64, 2004.
19. J. Ishibashi, R. L. Perry,A. Asakura, M. A. Rudnicki, MyoD induces myogenic differentiation through cooperation of its NH2- and COOH-terminal regions.J. Cell Biol. 171: 471-482, 2005.
20. Y. Nakamura, X. Wang, C. Xu,A. Asakura, M. Yoshiyama, A. H. From, J. Zhang. Xenotransplantation of Long Term Cultured Swine Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.Stem Cells. 25I6: 12-20, 2007.
21. G. Grenier, A. Scimè, F. Legrand, A. Asakura, C.Perez-Iratxeta, M. A.Andrade-Navarro, P. A.Labosky, M. A.Rudnicki. Resident Endothelial Precursors in Muscle, Adipose and Dermis Contribute to Post-Natal Vasculogenesis.Stem Cells. 25 (12): 3101-3110, 2007.
22. A. Asakura*, H. Hirai, B. Kablar, S. Morita, J. Ishibashi, B. A. Piras, A. J. Christ, M. Verma,K. A. Vineretsky, M. A. Rudnicki. Increased survival ofmuscle stem cellslacking the Myo Dgene after transplantation into regenerating skeletal muscle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.104:16552-16557, 2007. (*Corresponding author) Selected for Faculty of 1000.
23. H. Hirai, L. Romanova, S. Kellner, M. Verma, S. Rayner, A. Asakura*, N. Kikyo*. Post-mitotic role of nucleostemin as a promoter of skeletal muscle cell differentiation.Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 39: 299-304, 2010. (*Double corresponding authors)
24. M. Verma, Y. Asakura, H. Hirai, S. Watanabe, C. Tastad, G.-H. Fong,M. Ema, J. A. Call, D. A. Lowe, A. Asakura*. Flt-1haploinsufficiency ameliorates muscular dystrophy phenotype by developmentally increased vasculature inmdxmice.Hum. Mol. Genet. 19 (21): 4145-4159, 2010. (*Corresponding author)
25. H. Hirai, M. Verma, S. Watanabe, C. Tastad, Y. Asakura, A. Asakura*.MyoD Regulates apoptosis of myoblasts through micro RNA-mediated down-regulation of Pax3. J. Cell Biol. 191 (2): 347-365, 2010. (*Corresponding author)
26. M. Verma, A. Asakura*. Efficient single muscle fiber isolation from alcohol fixed adult muscle following beta-galactosidase staining for satellite cell detection. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 59: 60-67, 2011. (*Corresponding author)
27. S. Watanabe, H. Hirai, Y. Asakura, C. Tastad, M. Verma, C. Keller, J. R. Dutton, A. Asakura*. MyoDgene suppression by Oct4 is required for reprogramming in myoblasts to produce induced pluripotent stem cells.Stem Cells. 29: 505-516, 2011.
28. J.-H. Kim, W. S. Torgerud, K. H. H. Mosser, H. Hirai, S. Watanabe, A. Asakura, and L. V. Thompson.Myosin light chain 3f attenuates age-induced decline incontractile velocity in MHC type II single muscle fibers.Aging Cell. 11(2): 203-12, 2012.
29. Y. Wen, P. Bi, W. Liu,A. Asakura, C. Keller, S. Kuang. Constitutive Notch activation upregulates Pax7 and promotes the self-renewal of skeletalmusclesatellite cells. Mol Cell Biol. 2012. [Epub ahead of print]

Last Updated: August, 2012