Yasuhiko Kawakami

About

Yasuhiko Kawakami, PhD, is a Professor of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that regulate the development of cells and their organization into functional systems within the animal body. He studies the mechanisms of development and regeneration using cell culture and animal models, specifically mice and zebrafish. His work aims to elucidate how progenitor cells are generated, how they differentiate, and how they undergo morphogenesis during embryonic development. Additionally, he investigates how dormant genetic systems are regulated for tissue regeneration and maintenance in adult animals. Kawakami's research includes studying the regeneration of fin and heart tissues in zebrafish, as well as understanding congenital limb malformations in humans, which result from patterning and proliferation issues of limb bud progenitor cells during embryonic development. His contributions contribute to the broader understanding of stem cell biology, tissue regeneration, and developmental processes.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Biology
• Endocrinology
• Pediatrics
• Genetics
• Oncology
• Bioinformatics
• Immunology

Selected publications

• Two Distinctive <i>POMC</i> Promoters Modify Gene Expression in Cushing Disease

  The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 2021 · 33 citations

  CONTEXT: Mechanisms underlying pituitary corticotroph adenoma adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) production are poorly understood, yet circulating ACTH levels closely correlate with adenoma phenotype and clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVE: We characterized the 5' ends of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene transcripts, which encode the precursor polypeptide for ACTH, in order to investigate additional regulatory mechanisms of POMC gene transcription and ACTH production. METHODS: We examined 11 normal human pituit…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Multimodal Non-Surgical Treatments of Aggressive Pituitary Tumors

  Frontiers in Endocrinology · 2021 · 29 citations

  Up to 35% of aggressive pituitary tumors recur and significantly affect mortality and quality of life. Management can be challenging and often requires multimodal treatment. Current treatment options, including surgery, conventional medical therapies such as dopamine agonists, somatostatin receptor agonists and radiotherapy, often fail to inhibit pituitary tumor growth. Recently, anti-tumor effects of chemotherapeutic drugs such as Temozolomide, Capecitabine, and Everolimus, as well as peptide r…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Case of Hypophysitis Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination

  AACE Clinical Case Reports · 2022 · 27 citations

  Background/Objective: Although SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been developed with multiple novel technologies and rapidly disseminated worldwide, the full profile of adverse effects has not been known. Recently, there are sporadic but increasing reports of endocrinopathy in relation to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Here we report a rare case of hypophysitis with acute onset of diabetes insipidus, immediately after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Case Report: A 48-year-old female patient had been in her usual state…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Etv2 regulates enhancer chromatin status to initiate Shh expression in the limb bud

  Nature Communications · 2022-07-21 · 22 citations

  articleOpen access

  Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is essential for limb development, and the mechanisms that govern the propagation and maintenance of its expression has been well studied; however, the mechanisms that govern the initiation of Shh expression are incomplete. Here we report that ETV2 initiates Shh expression by changing the chromatin status of the developmental limb enhancer, ZRS. Etv2 expression precedes Shh in limb buds, and Etv2 inactivation prevents the opening of limb chromatin, including the ZRS, resulti…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Structural studies of SALL family protein zinc finger cluster domains in complex with DNA reveal preferential binding to an AATA tetranucleotide motif

  Journal of Biological Chemistry · 2022-10-17 · 21 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  The Spalt-like 4 transcription factor (SALL4) plays an essential role in controlling the pluripotent property of embryonic stem cells via binding to AT-rich regions of genomic DNA, but structural details on this binding interaction have not been fully characterized. Here, we present crystal structures of the zinc finger cluster 4 (ZFC4) domain of SALL4 (SALL4ZFC4) bound with different dsDNAs containing a conserved AT-rich motif. In the structures, two zinc fingers of SALL4ZFC4 recognize an AATA…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Genetic regulation of progenitor cells in appendicular skeletal development

  NIH · $3.3M · 2013–2024

• Limb-Type Specific Distinct Upstream Regulation of a Common Hand2-Shh Pathway

  NIH · $366k · 2012–2015

• Mechanisms for post-COVID pituitary damage

  NIH · $1.2M · 2021–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte

  Altos Labs

  93 shared

• Hiroko Kawakami

  University of Minnesota

  54 shared

• Ángel Raya

  Duran i Reynals Hospital

  48 shared

• Kenneth R. Chien

  Karolinska Institutet

  30 shared

• Jianming Wang

  Wellcome Trust

  30 shared

• Pilar Ruiz‐Lozano

  Imperial College London

  30 shared

• Tsutomu Nohno

  Okayama University

  27 shared

• Perla Kaliman

  Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

  25 shared

Education

• Ph.D.

  Okayama University

  1996

Awards & honors

• Dr. James E. Rubin Medical Memorial Award
• Veneziale-Steer Award
• Dr. Marvin and Hadassah Bacaner Research Awards
• Schmidt Steer Award
• Steer Pruitt Award

Similar researchers at University of Minnesota

• Heewon Leeh-59
• Thomas Neufeldh-52
• R. Scott McIvorh-51