TAKUYA IMAMURA

Last Updated :2025/06/12

Affiliations, Positions
Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Professor
E-mail
timamurahiroshima-u.ac.jp
Self-introduction
We are currently working for elucidating the species-dependent mechanisms of non-coding RNA-directed epigenome formation in mammals.

Basic Information

Academic Degrees

  • Ph.D., D.V.M., University of Tokyo

Educational Activity

  • [Bachelor Degree Program] School of Science : Biological Sciences : Biology
  • [Master's Program] Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life : Division of Integrated Sciences for Life : Program of Basic Biology
  • [Master's Program] Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life : Division of Integrated Sciences for Life : Program of Biomedical Science
  • [Doctoral Program] Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life : Division of Integrated Sciences for Life : Program of Basic Biology
  • [Doctoral Program] Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life : Division of Integrated Sciences for Life : Program of Biomedical Science

Research Fields

  • Agricultural sciences;Animal life science;Integrative animal science
  • Biology;Basic biology;Genetics / Chromosome dynamics

Research Keywords

  • sexual differentiation
  • evolution
  • biodiversity

Educational Activity

Course in Charge

  1. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Year, Research for Academic Degree Dissertation in Basic Biology
  2. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , First Semester, Exercises in Basic Biology A
  3. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Second Semester, Exercises in Basic Biology B
  4. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Year, Research for Academic Degree Dissertation in Integrated Life Sciences
  5. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 3Term, Biomedical Science Seminar A
  6. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 3Term, Biomedical Science Seminar B
  7. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 1Term, Advanced Technologies for Life Science
  8. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 3Term, Introduction to Disease Models
  9. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Year, Research for Academic Degree Dissertation in Biomedial Science
  10. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 2Term, Special Lecture on Biomedical Science (Mechanisms of Germ Cell Lineage Specification and Maintenance in the Mammalian Reproductive System)
  11. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , First Semester, Exercises in Biomedical Science A
  12. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Second Semester, Exercises in Biomedical Science B
  13. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , 3Term, Biomedical Science Seminar C
  14. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Year, Research for Academic Degree Dissertation in Integrated Life Sciences
  15. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , 3Term, Biomedical Science Seminar D
  16. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , 3Term, Biomedical Science Seminar E
  17. 2025, Liberal Arts Education Program1, 1Term, Fundamentals of Biology
  18. 2025, Liberal Arts Education Program1, 3Term, Introduction to Biology
  19. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 2Term, Introduction to Biological Sciences A
  20. 2025, Liberal Arts Education Program1, 2Term, Introductory Seminar for First-Year Students
  21. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, English Seminar on Biological Science
  22. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 1Term, Seminar on Biological Science
  23. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 2Term, Advanced Biology
  24. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 4Term, Animal Physiology A
  25. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 2Term, Animal Physiology B
  26. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Seminar for Molecular Physiology
  27. 2025, Undergraduate Education, First Semester, Special Study for Graduation
  28. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Special Study for Graduation
  29. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Practice for Fundamental Biology II
  30. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Practice for Fundamental Biology IV
  31. 2025, Undergraduate Education, First Semester, Practice for Fundamental Biology IV
  32. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 2Term, Special Lectures in Biological Science(Mechanisms of Germ Cell Lineage Specification and Maintenance in the Mammalian Reproductive System)
  33. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 1Term, Special Lectures in Integrated Sciences for Life

Research Activities

Academic Papers

  1. Generation and characterization of induced pluripotent stem cells of small apes, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 13(1536947), 20250319
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  2. The microcephaly-associated transcriptional regulator AUTS2 cooperates with Polycomb complex PRC2 to produce upper-layer neurons in mice, EMBO Journal, 44, 1354-1378, 20250115
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  3. Vanadium accumulation and reduction by vanadium-accumulating bacteria isolated from the intestinal contents of Ciona robusta, Marine Biotechnology, 26, 338-350, 20240307
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  4. Identification and characterization of dystrophin-locus-derived testis-specific protein: a testis-specific gene within the intronic region of the rat dystrophin gene, Journal of Reproduction and Development, 70, 55-64, 20240119
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  5. Amphibian newts as experimental models for studying weight gain after castration, Endocrine Journal, 71(2), 181-191, 20240228
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  6. Human-biased TMEM25 expression promotes expansion of neural progenitor cells to alter cortical structure in the developing brain, FEBS Letters, 597(21), 2611-2625, 20231017
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  7. Emerging concepts involving inhibitory and activating RNA functionalization towards the understanding of microcephaly phenotypes and brain diseases in humans., Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 11(1168072), 20230620
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  8. Concomitant downregulation of neuropeptide genes in a marine snail with consecutive sexual maturation after a nuclear disaster in Japan., Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14(1129666), 20230310
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  9. SoxE group transcription factor Sox8 promotes astrocytic differentiation of neural stem/precursor cells downstream of Nfia, Pharmacology Research and Perspectives, 20211022
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  10. Neural stem/precursor cells dynamically change their epigenetic landscape to differentially respond to BMP signaling for fate switching during brain development, Genes and Development, 20211021
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  11. Neuronal activation modulates enhancer activity of genes for excitatory synaptogenesis through de novo DNA methylation, Journal of Reproduction and Development, 20211007
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  12. The evolutionary acquisition and mode of functions of promoter-associated non-coding RNAs (pancRNAs) for mammalian development, Essays in Biochemistry, EBC20200143, 20210730
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  13. Generation of ovarian follicles from mouse pluripotent stem cells., Science, 373(6552), eabe0237, 20210716
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  14. MeCP2 controls neural stem cell fate specification through miR-199a-mediated inhibition of BMP-Smad signaling., Cell Reports, 35, 109124, 20210518
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  15. Inducible Kiss1 knockdown in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus suppressed pulsatile secretion of luteinizing hormone in male mice., 66, 369, 20200426
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  16. Conditional kisspeptin neuron-specific Kiss1 knockout with newly generated Kiss1-floxed and Kiss1-Cre mice replicates a hypogonadal phenotype of global Kiss1 knockout mice., The Journal of reproduction and development, 66, 359, 20200420
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  17. Modeling of early neural development in vitro by direct neurosphere formation culture of chimpanzee induced pluripotent stem cells., Stem cell research, 44, 101749, 2020
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  18. Pioneer Factor NeuroD1 Rearranges Transcriptional and Epigenetic Profiles to Execute Microglia-Neuron Conversion., Neuron, 101(3), 472-485, 20190206
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  19. Epigenetic regulation of neural stem cell differentiation towards spinal cord regeneration, Cell and Tissue Research, 371(1), 189-199, 20180101
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  20. DNA Methylome Analysis Identifies Transcription Factor-Based Epigenomic Signatures of Multilineage Competence in Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells, CELL REPORTS, 20(12), 2992-3003, 201709
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  21. Evolutionary acquisition of promoterassociated non-coding RNA (pancRNA) repertoires diversifies species-dependent gene activation mechanisms in mammals, BMC GENOMICS, 18(1), 285, 201704
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  22. Detection of bidirectional promoter-derived lncRNAs from small-scale samples using pre-amplification-free directional RNA-seq method, Methods in Molecular Biology, 1605, 83-103, 2017
  23. Manipulation of promoter-associated noncoding RNAs in mouse early embryos for controlling sequence-specific epigenetic status, Methods in Molecular Biology, 1543, 271-282, 2017
  24. Reconstitution in vitro of the entire cycle of the mouse female germ line, NATURE, 539(7628), 299-+, 201611
  25. Bidirectional promoters link cAMP signaling with irreversible differentiation through promoter-associated non-coding RNA (pancRNA) expression in PC12 cells, NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH, 44(11), 5105-5122, 201606
  26. miR-199a Links MeCP2 with mTOR Signaling and Its Dysregulation Leads to Rett Syndrome Phenotypes, CELL REPORTS, 12(11), 1887-1901, 201509
  27. Gene activation-associated long noncoding RNAs function in mouse preimplantation development, DEVELOPMENT, 142(5), 910-920, 201503
  28. Identification of Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus-Specific Enhancer Region of Kiss1 Gene in Mice, MOLECULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY, 29(1), 121-129, 201501
  29. Epigenetic setting and reprogramming for neural cell fate determination and differentiation, PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 369(1652), 201409
  30. Roles of Epigenetics in the Neural Stem Cell and Neuron, Epigenetics in Psychiatry, 51-78, 20140620
  31. Bidirectional promoters are the major source of gene activation-associated non-coding RNAs in mammals, BMC GENOMICS, 15, 35, 201401
  32. Epigenetic regulation of Kiss1 gene expression mediating estrogen-positive feedback action in the mouse brain, PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 109(20), E1294-E1301, 201205
  33. Single-stranded Noncoding RNAs Mediate Local Epigenetic Alterations at Gene Promoters in Rat Cell Lines, JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY, 286(40), 34788-34799, 201110
  34. Epigenetic setting for long-term expression of estrogen receptor a and androgen receptor in cells, HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR, 59(3), 345-352, 201103
  35. Involvement of brain ketone bodies and the noradrenergic pathway in diabetic hyperphagia in rats, JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 61(2), 103-113, 201103
  36. Epigenetic processes in a tetraploid mammal, MAMMALIAN GENOME, 19(6), 439-447, 200806
  37. Dynamic CpG and non-CpG methylation of the Peg1/Mest gene in the mouse oocyte and preimplantation embryo, JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY, 280(20), 20171-20175, 200505
  38. Identification of genetic and epigenetic similarities of SPHK1/Sphk1 in mammals, JOURNAL OF VETERINARY MEDICAL SCIENCE, 66(11), 1387-1393, 200411
  39. Non-coding RNA directed DNA demethylation of Sphk1 CpG island, BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS, 322(2), 593-600, 200409
  40. Essential role for poly (ADP-ribosyl)ation in mouse preimplantation development, BMC MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, 5(4), 4, 200406
  41. Epigenetic marks by DNA methylation specific to stem, germ and somatic cells in mice, GENES TO CELLS, 7(9), 961-969, 200209
  42. CpG island of rat sphingosine kinase-1 gene: tissue-dependent DNA methylation status and multiple alternative first exons, GENOMICS, 76(1-3), 117-125, 200108
  43. Generation and characterization of a monoclonal antibody recognizing a fetal brain enriched O-linked sialoglycoprotein, FOG100, JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY, 124(3), 534-539, 199809
  44. Molecular cloning of rat leukemia inhibitory factor receptor alpha-chain gene and its expression during pregnancy, BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE STRUCTURE AND EXPRESSION, 1353(3), 266-276, 199709

Publications such as books

  1. 2021/08/21, Roles of epigenetics in the neural stem cell and neuron. In: Jacob Peedicayil, Dennis Grayson, Dimitri Avramopoulos (eds) Epigenetics in Psychiatry, Academic Press, 英語, Naoki Yamamoto, Masahiro Uesaka, Takuya Imamura, Kinichi Nakashima, 978-0-12-823577-5, 816, 53-85

Invited Lecture, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation

  1. Growth Differentiation Factor 11-Mediated Regulation of Cortical Neural Stem/Progenitor Cell Behavior, Hiroto AKUTA, Akari ANDO, Boyang AN, Fumihiro MORISHITA, Takuya IMAMURA, 2024 International Conference of Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2024/10/08, Without Invitation, English, Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Jeju, Korea
  2. Evolutionary Acquisition of a Promoter-associated Non-coding RNA for MEIS1 Transcription Factor Contributes to Expansion of Human Neural Stem Cells, Hayato Uchida, Tomonori Kameda, Sota Nishida, Fumihiro Morishita, Kinichi Nakashima, Takuya Imamura, 57th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists, 2024/06/20, Without Invitation, English, Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists, Miyako Messe, Kyoto
  3. NRSN2 contributes to human neural stem cell proliferation through species-specific regulation of gene expression, Mayuri Tokunaga, Boyang An, Akari Ando, Arisa Makimura, Hiroto Akuta, Fumihiro Morishita, Takuya Imamura, 57th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists, 2024/06/20, Without Invitation, English, Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists, Miyako Messe, Kyoto
  4. Identification of species differences in structure and function of Commd3-Bmi1 loci in human/mouse neural stem cells, Sota Nishida, Arisa Makimura, Boyang An, Akari Ando, Mayuri Tokunaga, Fumihiro Tokunaga, Takuya Imamura, The 17th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Epigenetics, 2024/06/13, Without Invitation, Japanese, Japanese Society for Epigenetics, Osaka
  5. Integrative analysis of the developmental pace and direction during differentiation from pluripotent to neural stem cells, Hiroto AKUTA, Risako NAKAI, Takashi UMEHARA, Natsuki OSAKA, Atsuo SASAKI, Masayuki SHIMADA, Masanori IMAMURA, Takuya IMAMURA, RIKEN BDR Symposium 2024: Time across scales, 2024/03/04, Without Invitation, English, RIKEN BDR, Kobe, Japan
  6. TMEM25 promotes generation of basal neural progenitors to alter cortical structure in a human-specific manner, Boyang An, Akari Ando, Hiroto Akuta, Fumihiro Morishita, Takuya Imamura, MBSJ2023, 2023/12/06, Without Invitation, English, MBSJ
  7. Involvement of Protogenin in the Proliferation of Human Neural Stem Cells and Search for Regulators of Its Expression, Naoyuki KISHIDA, BOYANG AN, Hiroto AKUTA, Sota NISHIDA, Fumihiro MORISHITA, Risako NAKAI, Masanori IMAMURA, Takuya IMAMURA, MBSJ2023, 2023/12/06, Without Invitation, English, MBSJ
  8. Molecular mechanisms of cerebral evolution inferred by multiomics analysis of early neurogenesis using human and chimpanzee iPS-derived cells, HIroto Akuta Hiroto, Risako Nakai Risako, Takashi Umehara, Natsuki Osaka, Atsuo Sasaki, Masayuki Shimada, Masanori Imamura, Takuya Imamura, The 94th Annual Meeting of the Zoological Society of Japan, 2023/09/07, Without Invitation, Japanese, Zoological Society of Japan, Yamagata
  9. Deciphering the factors that affect timescaling of early human neurodevelopment using direct neurosphere formation., Hiroto Akuta, Risako Nakai, Masanori Imamura, Takuya Imamura, Neuro2023, 2023/08/01, Without Invitation, English, Sendai, Japan
  10. Human-specific non-coding RNA targets EFHC1, an epilepsy-associated gene, to regulate the proliferation of neural stem cells, Sota Nishida, Boyang An, Arisa Makimura, Fumihiro Morishita, Takuya Imamura, 56th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Developmental Biologist, 2023/07/23, Without Invitation, English, Sendai, Japan
  11. Human-specific non-coding RNA-mediated regulation of GDF11 determines behavior of cortical neural stem/progenitor cells., Hiroto Akuta, Akari Ando, Boyang An, Fumihiro Morishita, Takuya Imamura, 56th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Developmental Biologist, 2023/07/23, Without Invitation, English, Sendai, Japan
  12. UCP2 controls cell proliferation via SESN family in NSCs to differentiate mouse/human brain development, Akari Ando, Boyang An, Mayuri Tokunaga, Arisa Makimura, Fumihiro Morishita, Tomonori Kameda, Takuya Imamura, 56th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Developmental Biologist, 2023/07/23, Without Invitation, English, Sendai, Japan
  13. non-coding RNA functions that differentiate human and mouse brain, Takuya IMAMURA, JSNP64-JSN66, 2023/07/06, Without Invitation, English, Kobe
  14. Evolutionary acquisition of gene-activation-associated lncRNAs involved in the diversification of mammalian brains, Takuya IMAMURA, The 3rd IKIAM Conference "Epigenetics and Biodiversity", 2023/04/25, With Invitation, English, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena, Ecuador
  15. Evolutionary acquisition of lncRNAs involved in the diversification of mammalian brains, Takuya IMAMURA, KBRI Seminar, 2023/03/30, With Invitation, English, Korean Brain Research Institute, Daegu
  16. Species difference in structure and function of COMMD3-BMI1 loci in human/mouse neural stem cells, Arisa Makimura, Tomonori Kameda, Boyang An, Akari Ando, Mayuri Tokunaga, Fumihiro Morishita, Takuya Imamura, MBSJ2022, 2022/11/30, Without Invitation, Japanese, MBSJ, Makuhari Messe (Chiba)
  17. Evolutionary acquisition of gene-activation-associated lncRNA involved in the diversification of mammalian brains, Takuya Imamura, RNA Frontier Meeting 2022, 2022/10/12, With Invitation, English, RNA Frontier Meeting, Suita, Osaka
  18. Functional alteration of neural stem cell behavior upon acquisition of human-specific promoter-associated non-coding RNA (pancRNA), Takuya Imamura, ASN-PSJ 2022, 2022/09/18, Without Invitation, Japanese, Kyoto, Japan
  19. Epilepsy-associated gene EFHC1 regulates neural stem cell behavior through human-specific noncoding RNA-mediated gene activation, Sota Nishida, Boyang An, Arisa Makimura, Fumihiro Morishita, Takuya Imamura, The 115th SRD meeting, 2022/09/13, Without Invitation, Japanese
  20. Involvement of human PRTG in neural stem cell proliferation and predicton of PRTG upstream gene, Naoyuki Kishida, Boyang An, Hiroto Akuta, Fumihiro Morishita, Risako Nakai, Masanori Imamura, Takuya Imamura, The 115th SRD meeting, 2022/09/13, Without Invitation, Japanese
  21. The human-specific pancTMEM25-TMEM25, a molecular pair involved in the expansion of the cerebral cortex, Boyang An, Akari Ando, Fumihiro Morishita, Takuya Imamura, The 115th SRD meeting, 2022/09/13, Without Invitation, English
  22. Differential regulation of human and mouse neural stem cells mediated by species-specific promoter-associated non-coding RNAs (pancRNAs), Takuya Imamura, Boyang An, Akari Ando, Arisa Makimura, Mayuri Tokunaga, Tatsuya Ueki, Fumihiro Morishita, Neuro2022, 2022/07/02, Without Invitation, English, Ginowan, Japan
  23. Deciphering the functional difference between human and chimpanzee neural stem cells development from transcriptomes of iPS-derived cells, Hiroto Akuta, Risako Nakai, Mayu Hirata, Kenji Ichiyanagi, Masanori Imamura, Takuya Imamura, The 15th Annnual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Epigenetics, 2022/06/09, Without Invitation, Japanese
  24. Human-specific pancCD63-CD63 pair contribute to the generation of basal neural progenitors forevolutionary expansion of cerebral cortex, Boyang An, Tomonori Kameda, Takuya Imamura, 55th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Developmental Biologist, 2022/06/01, Without Invitation, English, Kanazawa, Japan
  25. UCP2/Ucp2 can control the number of neural stem/progenitor cells to differentiate mouse and human brain development, Akari Ando, Boyang An, Mayuri Tokunaga, Arisa Makimura, Fumihiro Morishita,Tomonori Kameda, Takuya Imamura, 55th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Developmental Biologist, 2022/06/01, Without Invitation, English, Kanazawa, Japan
  26. Discovery of a species-specific long non-coding RNA for differentiating expression of human NRSN2 and mouse Nrsn2 in neural stem cells, Mayuri Tokunaga , Boyang An , Akari Ando , Arisa Makimura , Fumihiro Morishita , Tomonori Kameda , Takuya Imamura, The 80th Fujiwara Seminar "Molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain systems generating individuality", 2021/08/30, Without Invitation, English
  27. Potentials of UCP2/Ucp2 for developing brain individuality through metabolic reprogramming of neural stem cells, Akari Ando, Boyang An, Mayuri Tokunaga, Arisa Makimura, Fumihiro Morishita, Tomonori Kameda, Takuya Imamura, The 80th Fujiwara Seminar "Molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain systems generating individuality", 2021/08/30, Without Invitation, English
  28. Species difference in structure and function of a gene for epigenome modification, BMI1/Bmi1, in human/mouse neural stem cells, Arisa Makimura, Boyang An, Akari Ando, Mayuri Tokunaga, Fumihiro Morishita,Tomonori Kameda, Takuya Imamura, The 80th Fujiwara Seminar "Molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain systems generating individuality", 2021/08/30, Without Invitation, English
  29. The human-specific pancCD63-CD63 pair can be involved in developing brain individuality by promoting basal progenitor proliferation, Boyang An, Tomonori Kameda, Takuya Imamura, The 80th Fujiwara Seminar "Molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain systems generating individuality", 2021/08/30, Without Invitation, English
  30. Neuronal activation modulates enhancer activity of genes for excitatory synaptogenesis through de novo DNA methylation, Takuya IMAMURA, The 14th Annual Meeting for Japanese Developmental Neuroscientists, 2021/03/19, Without Invitation, Japanese
  31. Molecular characterization of aging choroid plexus that regulates neural stem cells behavior and brain functions, 2020/12/02, Without Invitation, Japanese
  32. Utilizing ncRNA-regulated genes towards functional recovery of the fetal mouse brain exposed to maternal inflammation, Takuya IMAMURA, "Understanding environmental responses of neural cells towards development of brain disorder treatment", The 43rd Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society, 2020/08/01, Without Invitation, Japanese, Japan Neuroscience Society, Web