YASUO KITAJIMA

Last Updated :2026/10/06

Affiliations, Positions
Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Associate Professor
E-mail
kitajimahiroshima-u.ac.jp
Self-introduction
I am investigating the mechanisms of skeletal muscle homeostasis from the fields of skeletal muscle and stem cells.

Basic Information

Major Professional Backgrounds

  • 2025/12/01, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Associate Professor
  • 2020/12/01, 2025/11/30, Excellent Young Researchers, Excellent Young Researchers
  • 2020/12/01, 2025/11/30, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Assistant Professor
  • 2019/04, 2020/11, Kumamoto University, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Assistant Professor
  • 2016/04, 2019/03, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists (SPD)
  • 2014/04, 2016/03, Tohoku University, Assistant Professor (Special Appointment)

Academic Degrees

  • TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

Research Fields

  • Biology;Biological Science;Cell biology
  • Biological Sciences;Laboratory animal science;Laboratory animal science
  • Complex systems;Health / Sports science;Sports science

Research Keywords

  • muscle stem cell

Affiliated Academic Societies

  • THE MOLECULAR BIOLOGY SOCIETY OF JAPAN
  • JAPAN SOCIETY FOR BIOMEDICAL GERONTOLOGY
  • THE JAPANESE SOCIETY OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND SPORTS MEDICINE

Educational Activity

Course in Charge

  1. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Biological Responses
  2. 2026, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , First Semester, Seminar
  3. 2026, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Second Semester, Seminar
  4. 2026, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , First Semester, Research
  5. 2026, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Second Semester, Research
  6. 2026, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , First Semester, Advanced Seminar
  7. 2026, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Second Semester, Advanced Seminar
  8. 2026, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , First Semester, Advanced Research
  9. 2026, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Second Semester, Advanced Research
  10. 2026, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , First Semester, Advanced Seminar on Immunology
  11. 2026, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Second Semester, Advanced Seminar on Immunology
  12. 2026, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , First Semester, Advanced Research on Immunology
  13. 2026, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Second Semester, Advanced Research on Immunology

Research Activities

Academic Papers

  1. Endogenous calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II gamma and delta maintain Type II myofiber identity in adult mice, Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 20261001
  2. CaMKIIγ/δ contributes to mitochondrial metabolic adaptation in skeletal muscle during endurance training, MOLECULAR METABOLISM, 111, 20260926
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  3. Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase (nNOS) Expression Is Reduced in Skeletal Muscle from db/db Mice and Glucose and Fatty Acids Show Differential Effects on nNOS Regulation and Myogenic Differentiation, JOURNAL OF NUTRITION, 156(9), 20260926
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  4. Spi-B and IRF1 activate tumor immunogenicity downstream of the Epstein-Barr virus protein LMP1, CELL REPORTS, 45(8), 20260826
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  5. IL-6-C/EBPβ signaling drives monocytic differentiation of murine cultured lymphoid progenitors with immunoregulatory properties, CELL DEATH & DISEASE, 16(1), 20250812
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  6. Mg2+ influx mediated by TRPM7 triggers the initiation of muscle stem cell activation, SCIENCE ADVANCES, 11(14), 20250404
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  7. Co-expression of B7-H3 and LAG3 represents cytotoxicity of CD4+ T cells in humans, FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY, 16, 20250225
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  8. Loss of Tob1 promotes muscle regeneration through muscle stem cell expansion, JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE, 137(15), 202408
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  9. The neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression increases during satellite cell-derived primary myoblasts differentiation, CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, 69(13), 128-133, 2023
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  10. The aminopeptidase LAP3 suppression accelerates myogenic differentiation via the AKT-TFE3 pathway in C2C12 myoblasts, JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, 238(9), 2103-2119, 202309
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  11. Structural basis of spike RBM-specific human antibodies counteracting broad SARS-CoV-2 variants, COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY, 6(1), 20230411
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  12. Vaccination with the Omicron spike RBD boosts broadly neutralizing antibody levels and confers sustained protection even after acquiring immunity to the original antigen, INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOLOGY, 35(4), 197-207, 20230404
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  13. Little involvement of recycled-amino acids from proteasomal proteolysis in de novo protein synthesis, BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS, 634, 40-47, 20221217
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  14. The mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 promotes satellite cell function in muscle regeneration, LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE, 6(2), 202202
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  15. Concomitant Cytotoxic Effector Differentiation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T Cells in Response to EBV-Infected B Cells, CANCERS, 14(17), 202209
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  16. Hoxa10 mediates positional memory to govern stem cell function in adult skeletal muscle, SCIENCE ADVANCES, 7(24), 202106
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  17. Efficient Isolation of Lymphocytes and Myogenic Cells from the Tissue of Muscle Regeneration, CELLS, 11(11), 202206
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  18. siRNA knockdown of alanine aminopeptidase impairs myoblast proliferation and differentiation, Experimental Cell Research, 20201201
  19. The ubiquitin-proteasome system in regulation of the skeletal muscle homeostasis and atrophy: from basic science to disorders., The journal of physiological sciences : JPS, 70(1), 40-40, 20200916
  20. The Body Region Specificity in Murine Models of Muscle Regeneration and Atrophy, Acta Physiologica, 202101
  21. Inducible Rpt3, a Proteasome Component, Knockout in Adult Skeletal Muscle Results in Muscle Atrophy, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8, 20200902
  22. Damaged Myofiber-Derived Metabolic Enzymes Act as Activators of Muscle Satellite Cells, Stem Cell Reports, 202009
  23. A Modified Pre-plating Method for High-Yield and High-Purity Muscle Stem Cell Isolation From Human/Mouse Skeletal Muscle Tissues, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8, 20200813
  24. AMPK complex activation promotes sarcolemmal repair in dysferlinopathy, Molecular Therapy, 28(4), 1133-1153, 20200408
  25. Aberrant axon branching via Fos-B dysregulation in FUS-ALS motor neurons., EBioMedicine, 45, 362-378, 201907
  26. The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System Is Indispensable for the Maintenance of Muscle Stem Cells., Stem cell reports, 11(6), 1523-1538, 20181211
  27. Antagonizing bone morphogenetic protein 4 attenuates disease progression in a rat model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis., Experimental neurology, 307, 164-179, 201809
  28. Visualization of PAX7 protein dynamics in muscle satellite cells in a YFP knock-in-mouse line., Skeletal muscle, 8(1), 26, 201808
  29. Histone H3.3 sub-variant H3mm7 is required for normal skeletal muscle regeneration., Nature communications, 9(1), 1400, 201804
  30. Aberrant astrocytic expression of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan receptors in a rat model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, 96(2), 222-233, 201802
  31. Notch1 and Notch2 Coordinately Regulate Stem Cell Function in the Quiescent and Activated States of Muscle Satellite Cells., Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio), 36(2), 278-285, 201802
  32. Activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor pathway induced by prolyl hydroxylase domain 2 deficiency enhances the effect of running training in mice, ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, 220(1), 99-112, 201705
  33. Nrf2-Mediated Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Glycogen Metabolism, MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, 36(11), 1655-1672, 201606
  34. Prolyl hydroxylase domain 2 deficiency promotes skeletal muscle fiber-type transition via a calcineurin/NFATc1-dependent pathway., Skeletal muscle, 6, 5-5, 2016
  35. Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)., Autophagy, 12(1), 1-222, 2016
  36. Visualizing the Functional Heterogeneity of Muscle Stem Cells., Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 1516, 183-193, 2016
  37. The serine protease inhibitor camostat inhibits influenza virus replication and cytokine production in primary cultures of human tracheal epithelial cells., Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics, 33, 66-74, 201508
  38. Proteasome dysfunction induces muscle growth defects and protein aggregation., Journal of cell science, 127(Pt 24), 5204-17, 20141215
  39. Characterization of contraction-induced IL-6 up-regulation using contractile C2C12 myotubes., Endocrine journal, 60(2), 137-147, 2013
  40. Puromycin sensitive aminopeptidase is required for C2C12 myoblast proliferation and differentiation, Journal of Cellular Physiology, 202107

Invited Lecture, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation

  1. Co-expression of CD276 and Lag3 are early activation markers of functional cytotoxic CD4 T cell in humans, Yumi Tamura, Yasuo Kitajima, 2024/12/03, Without Invitation, Japanese
  2. Characterization and functional analysis of myeloid cells derived from long-term proliferating cultured common lymphoid progenitors, Yohei Kawano, Yasuo Kitajima, 2024/12/03, Without Invitation, Japanese
  3. Characterization and functional analysis of myeloid cells derived from long-term proliferating cultured common lymphoid progenitors, Yohei Kawano, Yasuo Kitajima, 2024/11/27, Without Invitation, Japanese
  4. Sequential exposure to different SARS-CoV-2 antigens induces broadly neutralizing antibodies in mice., Hitoshi Azuma, Yasuo Kitajima, Without Invitation, Japanese
  5. Immunogenic conversion of cold tumors boosts tumor-specific immune surveillance., Keita Yamane, Yasuo Kitajima, 2024/01/17, Without Invitation, Japanese
  6. nNOS expression patterns in the differentiation of primary myoblasts, Masaki Kusano, Sakai Kazuya, Yuki Tomiga, Yasuo Kitajima, Kentaro Kawanaka, Shihoko Nakashima, Yoshinari Uehara, Yasuki Higaki, 2023 ACSM annual meeting and world congresses, 2023/06/02, Without Invitation, English
  7. Properties and functional analysis of cultured common lymphoid progenitor-derived monocytic cells (cCLP-M)., Yohei Kawano, Mizuki Moriyama, Shun Ohki, Yasuo Kitajima, Tomoharu Yasuda, The 51th Annual Meeting of The Japanese Society for Immunology, 2022/12/07, Without Invitation, Japanese
  8. Concomitant cytotoxic effector differentiation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in response to EBV infected B cells., Yumi Tamura, Keita Yamane, Moeka Mori, Yohei Kawano, Shun Ohki, Yasuo Kitajima, Tomoharu Yasuda., The 51st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Immunology, 2022/12/07, Without Invitation, Japanese
  9. nNOS DNA methylation level and nNOS gene expression in the differentiation of primary myoblasts, Kusano M, Kusano M, Sakai K, Tomiga Y, Kitajima Y, Ito A, Kawanaka K, Nakashima S, Uehara Y, Higaki Y, ACSM 2022 Annual Meeting and World Congresses, 2022/06/04, Without Invitation, English

External Funds

Acceptance Results of Competitive Funds

  1. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)), 2026, 2029
  2. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)), 2024, 2026
  3. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)), 2023, 2026
  4. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)), 2021, 2023
  5. 2020/12, 2025/11
  6. Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), 2020/04, 2024/03
  7. Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Physiological roles and mechanisms of a novel high density lipoprotein (HDL) production system in skeletal muscle., 2020/03, 2024/03
  8. Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, 2018/04, 2021/03
  9. 2020/04
  10. 2020/04
  11. Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Challenging Research (Exploratory), 2017/06/30, 2020/03/31
  12. 2018/04, 2019/03
  13. Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, 2016/04, 2019/03
  14. Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B), Elucidation of role of proteasome system in regulation of skeletal muscle mass, 2015/04, 2019/03
  15. 2017/04, 2018/03
  16. 2016/04, 2017/03
  17. 2015/04, 2016/03
  18. 2015/04, 2016/03
  19. 2013/04, 2014/03