KOJI IKEGAMI

Last Updated :2025/07/15

Affiliations, Positions
Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Professor
E-mail
k-ikegamihiroshima-u.ac.jp
Self-introduction
At the undergraduate level, I am in charge of anatomy at the medical school. Anatomy is a "study of observation" and is the first gateway for medical students who will examine patients in the future. In lectures and practical training, I not only teach knowledge and anatomical terms, but also emphasize the importance of perspectives and views, such as "how to see things".
    In research, including postgraduate education, our primary motto is "observation" as in education, and we conduct imaging-based research in which we carefully "watch" cells and various structures within cells through a microscope. In particular, we focus on primary cilia, which are single hairs that grow on the surface of cells, and the cytoskeleton, which is the "bone" inside cells that transports materials and functions during cell division. I would like to clarify how cells and those structures change in development and aging or respond to various stimuli by using live imaging and time-lapse imaging, which sometimes allow us to observe them as they are.

Basic Information

Major Professional Backgrounds

  • 2019/04/01, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Professor
  • 2018/04/01, 2019/03/31, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Professor
  • 2011/08/01, 2018/03/31, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Associate Professor
  • 2008/08/01, 2011/07/31, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Assistant Professor (Special Appointment)
  • 2007/04/01, 2008/07/31, Mitsubishi Kagaku Institute of Life Sciences, Research associate
  • 2004/04/01, 2007/03/31, Mitsubishi Kagaku Institute of Life Sciences, Postdoctoral Fellow
  • 2001/04/01, 2004/03/31, JSPS, Special Researcher

Educational Backgrounds

  • Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Science, Doctor Course, Division of Biological Sciences, Japan, 2001/04, 2004/03
  • Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Science, Master Course, Division of Biological Sciences, Japan, 1999/04, 2001/03
  • HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY, Faculty of Science, Japan, 1995/04, 1999/03

Academic Degrees

  • PhD, Hokkaido University

Educational Activity

  • [Bachelor Degree Program] School of Medicine : Program of Medicine : Medicine
  • [Master's Program] Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences : Division of Integrated Health Sciences : Program of Biomedical Science
  • [Doctoral Program] Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences : Division of Integrated Health Sciences : Program of Biomedical Science
  • [Doctoral Program] Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences : Division of Biomedical Sciences : Program of Medicine

In Charge of Primary Major Programs

  • Medicine
  • Life Sciences

Research Fields

  • Medicine,dentistry, and pharmacy;Basic medicine;General anatomy (including histology / embryology)
  • Biology;Biological Science;Cell biology
  • Biological Sciences;Neuroscience;Neurochemistry / Neuropharmacology

Research Keywords

  • cytoskeleton
  • cilia and flagella
  • post-translational modifications
  • extracellular vesicles

Affiliated Academic Societies

Educational Activity

Course in Charge

  1. 2025, Liberal Arts Education Program1, 1Term, Foundation biology for life science
  2. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Early exposure of undergraduates to medicine
  3. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 2Term, Introduction for medical research
  4. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 4Term, Medical Neuroscience I
  5. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Intensive, Practice for medical research
  6. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 2Term, Practice of Anatomy I
  7. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 2Term, Practice of Anatomy I
  8. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Practice of Anatomy II
  9. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Practice of Anatomy II
  10. 2025, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Structure of human body I
  11. 2025, Undergraduate Education, First Semester, Structure of human body II
  12. 2025, Liberal Arts Education Program1, 1Term, Introductory Seminar for First-Year Students
  13. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , First Semester, Seminar
  14. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Second Semester, Seminar
  15. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , First Semester, Research
  16. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Second Semester, Research
  17. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , First Semester, Advanced Seminar
  18. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Second Semester, Advanced Seminar
  19. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , First Semester, Advanced Research
  20. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Second Semester, Advanced Research
  21. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , First Semester, Human Anatomy
  22. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , First Semester, Advanced Seminar on Anatomy and Developmental Biology
  23. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Second Semester, Advanced Seminar on Anatomy and Developmental Biology
  24. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , First Semester, Advanced Research on Anatomy and Developmental Biology
  25. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Second Semester, Advanced Research on Anatomy and Developmental Biology

Research Activities

Academic Papers

  1. Histological study of donor/recipient feasibility in distal nerve transfer for the upper limb nerve injury, PLOS ONE, 20(5), 2025
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  2. Visualizing the Submolecular Organization of alpha/beta-Tubulin Subunits on the Microtubule Inner Surface Using Atomic Force Microscopy, NANO LETTERS, 25(1), 98-105, 20241121
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  3. ★, Excess microtubule and F-actin formation mediates shortening and loss of primary cilia in response to a hyperosmotic milieu, JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE, 137(16), jcs261988, 202408
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  4. Impaired Coordination of the Ciliary Movement in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps: The Role of Decreased Planar Cell Polarity Protein Expression, IMMUNO, 4(3), 247-265, 202409
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  5. ★, Circadian oscillation in primary cilium length by clock genes regulates fibroblast cell migration, EMBO REPORTS, 24(12), e56870, 20231206
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  6. delta3-tubulin impairs mitotic spindle morphology and increases nuclear size in pancreatic cancer cells, MEDICAL MOLECULAR MORPHOLOGY, 57(1), 59-67, 202403
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  7. Tubulin Polyglutamylation by TTLL1 and TTLL7 Regulate Glutamate Concentration in the Mice Brain, BIOMOLECULES, 13(5), 20230501
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  8. Analysis of motility and mucociliary function of tracheal epithelial cilia, Methods in Cell Biology, 176, 159-180, 20230421
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  9. Time-lapse imaging of primary cilium behavior with physiological expression of fluorescent ciliary proteins, Methods in Cell Biology, 175, 45-68, 20230321
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  10. Double-layered two-directional somatopleural cell migration during chicken body wall development revealed with local fluorescent tissue labeling, Anatomical Science International, 97(4), 380-390, 202209
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  11. ★, A pair of primers facing at the double-strand break site enables to detect NHEJ-mediated indel mutations at a 1-bp resolution, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 12(1), 20220708
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  12. Effects of long-acting muscarinic antagonists on promoting ciliary function in airway epithelium, BMC PULMONARY MEDICINE, 22(1), 20220508
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  13. ★, Knock-in of Labeled Proteins into 5'UTR Enables Highly Efficient Generation of Stable Cell Lines, Cell Structure and Function, 46(1), 21-35, 20210316
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  14. Current understandings of the relationship between extracellular vesicles and cilia, The Journal of Biochemistry, 169(2), 139-145, 20210305
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  15. Copy number variation in DRC1 is the major cause of primary ciliary dyskinesia in the Japanese population, MOLECULAR GENETICS & GENOMIC MEDICINE, 8(3), 20200301
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  16. Influenza A virus enhances ciliary activity and mucociliary clearance via TLR3 in airway epithelium, RESPIRATORY RESEARCH, 21(1), 20201027
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  17. Impaired mucociliary motility enhances antigen-specific nasal IgA immune responses to a cholera toxin-based nasal vaccine, INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOLOGY, 32(8), 559-568, 20200801
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  18. Live cell imaging of dynamic behaviors of motile cilia and primary cilium, MICROSCOPY, 68(2), 99-110, 201904
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  19. Preferential Incorporation of Administered Eicosapentaenoic Acid Into Thin-Cap Atherosclerotic Plaques, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 39(9), 1802-1816, 201909
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  20. An in vitro model of region-specific rib formation in chick axial skeleton: Intercellular interaction between somite and lateral plate cells, Mechanisms of Development, 159, 103568, 2019
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  21. A targeted next-generation sequencing panel reveals novel mutations in Japanese patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia, Auris Nasus Larynx, 45(3), 585-591, 201806
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  22. Stearate-to-palmitate ratio modulates endoplasmic reticulum stress and cell apoptosis in non-B non-C hepatoma cells, Cancer Science, 109(4), 1110-1120, 201804
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  23. Impaired airway mucociliary function reduces antigen-specific IgA immune response to immunization with a claudin-4-targeting nasal vaccine in mice, Scientific Reports, 8(1), 2904, 201802
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  24. Environmental responsiveness of tubulin glutamylation in sensory cilia is regulated by the p38 MAPK pathway, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 8(1), 8392, 201805
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  25. Role of caveolin-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma arising from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Cancer Science, 109(8), 2401-2411, 201808
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  26. UBL3 modification influences protein sorting to small extracellular vesicles, Nature Communications, 9, 3936, 2018
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  27. Three-dimensional tracking of microbeads attached to the tip of single isolated tracheal cilia beating under external load, Scientific Reports, 8, 15562, 201810
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  28. ★, Proper cytoskeletal architecture beneath the plasma membrane of red blood cells requires Ttll4, Molecular Biology of the Cell, 28(4), 535-544, 201702
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  29. ★, Increase in α-tubulin modifications in the neuronal processes of hippocampal neurons in both kainic acid-induced epileptic seizure and Alzheimer's disease, Scientific Reports, 7, 40205, 201701
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  30. ★, Dynamic Remodeling of Membrane Composition Drives Cell Cycle through Primary Cilia Excision, Cell, 168(1-2), 264-279, 201701
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  31. Ttll9-/- mice sperm flagella show shortening of doublet 7, reduction of doublet 5 polyglutamylation and a stall in beating, Journal of Cell Science, 129(14), 2757-2766, 201607
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  32. Accumulation of arachidonic acid-containing phosphatidylinositol at the outer edge of colorectal cancer, Scientific Reports, 6, 29935, 201607
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  33. Direct profiling of the phospholipid composition of adult Caenorhabditis elegans using whole-body imaging mass spectrometry, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 407(25), 7589-7602, 201510
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  34. Mechanical Stimulation by Postnasal Drip Evokes Cough, PloS One, 10(11), e0141823, 201511
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  35. Single-cell time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry reveals that human breast cancer stem cells have significantly lower content of palmitoleic acid compared to their counterpart non-stem cancer cells, Biochimie, 107(A), 73-77, 201412
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  36. Single cell lipidomics of SKBR‐3 breast cancer cells by using time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectrometry, Surface and Interface Analysis, 46(S1), 181-184, 201411
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  37. Application of 2,5‐dihydroxyacetophenone with sublimation provides efficient ionization of lipid species by atmospheric pressure matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry, Surface and Interface Analysis, 46(12-13), 1219-1222, 201412
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  38. Adventitial vasa vasorum arteriosclerosis in abdominal aortic aneurysm, PloS One, 8(2), e57398, 201302
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  39. Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 altered phospholipid composition and regulated hepatoma progression, Journal of Hepatology, 59(2), 292-299, 201308
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  40. Cytosolic carboxypeptidase 5 removes α- and γ-linked glutamates from tubulin, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 288(42), 30445-30453, 201310
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  41. ★, Cytosolic carboxypeptidase 1 is involved in processing α- and β-tubulin, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 287(9), 6530-6517, 201202
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  42. Axonal gradient of arachidonic acid-containing phosphatidylcholine and its dependence on actin dynamics, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 287(8), 5290-5300, 201202
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  43. CEP41 is mutated in Joubert syndrome and is required for tubulin glutamylation at the cilium, Nature Genetics, 44(2), 193-199, 201202
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  44. ★, Ciliary and flagellar structure and function--their regulations by posttranslational modifications of axonemal tubulin, International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology, 294, 133-170, 2012
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  45. Submolecular-scale imaging of α-helices and C-terminal domains of tubulins by frequency modulation atomic force microscopy in liquid, Biophysical Journal, 101(5), 1270-1276, 201109
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  46. SIRT1 Regulates Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Release by Enhancing PIP5Kgamma Activity through Deacetylation of Specific Lysine Residues in Mammals, PloS One, 5(7), e11755, 201007
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  47. Detection of characteristic distributions of phospholipid head groups and fatty acids on neurite surface by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, Medical Molecular Morphology, 43(3), 158-164, 201009
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  48. Imaging mass spectrometry of gastric carcinoma in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue microarray, Cancer Science, 101(1), 267-273, 201001
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  49. ★, Unique post-translational modifications in specialized microtubule architecture, Cell Structure and Function, 35(1), 15-22, 2010
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  50. Developments and applications of mass microscopy, Medical Molecular Morphology, 43(1), 1-5, 201003
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  51. Identification of tubulin deglutamylase among Caenorhabditis elegans and mammalian cytosolic carboxypeptidases (CCPs), The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 285(30), 22936-22941, 201007
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  52. ★, Tubulin polyglutamylation is essential for airway ciliary function through the regulation of beating asymmetry, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(23), 10490-10495, 201006
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  53. Imaging of lipids in cultured mammalian neurons by matrix assisted laser/desorption ionization and secondary ion mass spectrometry, Surface and Interface Analysis, 42(10-11), 1606-1611, 2010
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  54. Recombinant mammalian tubulin polyglutamylase TTLL7 performs both initiation and elongation of polyglutamylation on beta-tubulin through a random sequential pathway, Biochemistry, 48(5), 1084-1093, 200902
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  55. ★, TTLL10 can perform tubulin glycylation when co-expressed with TTLL8, FEBS Letters, 583(12), 1957-1963, 200906
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  56. ★, TTLL10 is a protein polyglycylase that can modify nucleosome assembly protein 1, FEBS Letters, 582(7), 1129-1134, 200804
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  57. Transmembrane and ubiquitin-like domain-containing protein 1 (Tmub1/HOPS) facilitates surface expression of GluR2-containing AMPA receptors, PloS One, 3(7), e2809, 200807
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  58. Enhancement of Trk signaling pathways by the cholestane amide conjugate MCC-257, Journal of Pharmacological Sciences, 108(1), 131-134, 200809
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  59. ★, Loss of alpha-tubulin polyglutamylation in ROSA22 mice is associated with abnormal targeting of KIF1A and modulated synaptic function, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104(9), 3213-3218, 200702
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  60. ★, TTLL7 is a mammalian beta-tubulin polyglutamylase required for growth of MAP2-positive neurites, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 281(41), 30707-30716, 200610
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  61. Hypo-osmotic shock induces nuclear export and proteasome-dependent decrease of UBL5, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 350(3), 610-615, 200611
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  62. N-alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK) suppresses neuritic degeneration caused by different experimental paradigms including in vitro Wallerian degeneration, Brain Research, 1030(1), 81-93, 200412
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  63. ★, Non-apoptotic neurite degeneration in apoptotic neuronal death: Pivotal role of mitochondrial function in neurites, Neuroscience, 122(3), 617-626, 2003
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  64. Membrane depolarization-mediated survival of sympathetic neurons occurs through both phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase- and CaM kinase II-dependent pathways, Brain Research, 866(1-2), 218-226, 200006
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI

Publications such as books

  1. 2023/04/21, Cilia : from mechanisms to disease - part B, Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevie, 2023, 202304, Scholarly Book, Joint work, English, edited by José Manuel Bravo-San Pedro, Lorenzo Galluzzi, 9780443185885
  2. 2023/03/21, Cilia : from mechanisms to disease - part A, Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevie, 2023, 202303, Scholarly Book, Joint work, English, edited by José Manuel Bravo-San Pedro, Lorenzo Galluzzi, 9780443185861
  3. 2016, Analysis of Post-Translational Modifications and Proteolysis in Neuroscience, Humana Press, 2016, Scholarly Book, Joint work, English, 1493934708
    Amazon URL
  4. 2010, Imaging mass spectrometry - protocols for mass microscopy, Springer, 2010, Scholarly Book, Joint work, English, 4431094245
    Amazon URL

Invited Lecture, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation

  1. Lipoquality-mediated regulation of primary cilia dynamics, Ikegami Koji, Setou Mitsutoshi, International Symposium on Imaging Frontier 2017, 2017/07/09, Without Invitation, English, Tokyo
  2. Evidence for release of ciliary components into extracellular fluid, Ikegami Koji, Setou Mitsutoshi, The 28th CDB meeting, 2016/11/29, Without Invitation, English, Kobe
  3. Release of cilia components into extracellular space, Ikegami Koji, Ireland – Japan Joint Seminar, 2016/10/12, With Invitation, English, Tokyo
  4. Posttranslational polymodifications of tubulin and other Targets, Ikegami Koji, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Special Seminar, 2013/07/01, Without Invitation, English, New York
  5. Analysis of Polymodification-performing Enzymes with Raster Image Correlation Spectroscopy, Ikegami Koji, IMB-Olympus Microscopy Suite Opening Ceremony, Live Cell Imaging Seminer, 2011/05, With Invitation, English, IMB/Olympus, Singapore
  6. Tubulin polyglutamylation for structural and functional asymmetry of cilia, Ikegami Koji, Sato Shobu, Nakamura Kenji, Setou Mitsutoshi, ASCB/JSCB/RIKEN CDB Meeting, 2009/09, Without Invitation, English, ASCB, Kyoto
  7. Loss of tubulin polyglutamylation is associated with a lack of central apparatus in tracheacilia axoneme, dysregulated cilia beating, and severe ceaseless cough in TTLL1-deficient mouse, Ikegami Koji, Sato Shobu, Setou Mitsutoshi, 47th ASCB Annual Meeting, 2007/12, Without Invitation, English, ASCB, Washington DC