Research Interest

We are aiming to understand how DNA damage is recognized by the DNA damage checkpoint machinery and how the checkpoint machinery initiates DNA damage signaling using budding yeast as a model system.

DNA is continually subjected to damaging agents produced inside cells and penetrated from the environment. DNA damage checkpoint control is devoted to the surveillance of damaged DNA. It is important to study DNA damage checkpoint for two reasons. First, it is the front line defense against DNA damage. Unprocessed DNA damage can lead to mutations that can accumulate to cause cancer. Second, some of the compounds used in cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy work by damaging DNA. The success of therapy with such agents is affected by DNA damage checkpoint control in normal and tumor tissues. A deeper understanding of DNA damage checkpoint should allow us to modulate the process in tumors in ways that could improve cancer therapy.

My NCBI Collections

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1JkjpBJde7aku/bibliography/public/

Selected Publications

• Biswas H, Goto GH, Wang W, Sung P, Sugimoto K. (2019)
  Ddc2ATRIP promotes Mec1ATR activation at RPA-covered ssDNA tracts.
  PLoS genetics. 2019 Aug 1;15(8):e1008294. PMID: 31369547

• Goto GH, Ogi H, Biswas H, Ghosh A, Tanaka S, Sugimoto K. (2017)
  Two separate pathways regulate protein stability of ATM/ATR-related protein kinases Mec1 and Tel1 in budding yeast.
  PLoS genetics. 2017; 13(8):e1006873. PMID: 28827813

• Ogi H, Goto GH, Ghosh A, Zencir S, Henry E, and Sugimoto K. (2015)
  Requirement of the FATC domain of protein kinase Tel1 for localization to DNA ends and target protein recognition
  Molecular Biology of the Cell. PMID: 26246601

• Goto G, Zencir S, Hirano Y, Ogi H, Ivessa A. and Sugimoto K. (2015)
  Binding of multiple Rap1 proteins stimulates chromosome breakage induction during DNA replication
  PlOS Genetics: e1005283.

• Bandhu, A., Kang, J., Fukunaga, K., Goto, G., Sugimoto, K. (2014)
  Ddc2 mediates Mec1 activation through a Ddc1- or Dpb11-independent mechanism
  PLOS Genetics 10: e1004136.

• Fukunaga K., Hirano. Y and Sugimoto, K. (2012)
  Subtelomere-binding protein Tbf1 and telomere-binding protein Rap1 collaborate to inhibit localization of the Mre11 complex to DNA ends in budding yeast
  Molecular Biology of the Cell. PMID: 22130795.
  
  
• Fukunaga K, Kwon Y, Sung P and Sugimoto, K (2011)
  Activation of protein kinase Tel1 through recognition of protein-bound DNA ends
  Molecular and Cellular Biology. PMID: 21402778
  Comment in PMID: 21444713.
  
  
• Hirano, Y., Fukunaga, K. & Sugimoto, K. (2009)
  Rif1 and Rif2 inhibit localization of Tel1 to DNA ends
  Molecular Cell. PMID: 19217405
  Highlighted in www.facultyof1000.com <http://www.facultyof1000.com>
  Comment in in Molecular Cell. PMID: 9250901.
  
  
• Hirano, Y., & Sugimoto, K. (2007)
  Cdc13 telomere capping decreases Mec1 association but does not affect Tel1 association with DNA ends.
  Molecular Biology of the Cell. PMID: 17377065.
  
  
• Hirano, Y., & Sugimoto, K. (2006)
  ATR-homolog Mec1 controls association of DNA polymerase zeta-Rev1 complex with regions near a double-strand break.
  Current Biology. 16:586-590. PMID: 16546083
  Comment in http://www.current-biology.com/content/article/fulltext?uid=PIIS0960982206013418
  
  
• Nakada, D., Hirano, Y., Tanaka, Y., & Sugimoto, K. (2005)
  Role of the C-terminus of Mec1 checkpoint kinase in its localization to sites of DNA damage.
  Molecular Biology of the Cell. PMID: 16148046.
  
  
• Nakada, D., Hirano, Y., & Sugimoto, K. (2004)
  Requirement of the Mre11 complex and Exonuclease 1 for activation of the Mec1 signaling pathway.
  Molecular and Cellular Biology 24: 10016-10025.
  Highlighted in www.facultyof1000.com.
  
  
• Nakada, D., Matsumoto, K., & Sugimoto, K. (2003)
  ATM-related Tel1 associates with double-strand breaks through an Xrs2-dependent mechanism.
  Genes & Development 17: 1957-1962.
  Highlighted in www.facultyof1000.com.
  
  
• Kondo, T., Wakayama, T., Naiki, T., Matsumoto, K., & Sugimoto, K. (2001)
  Recruitment of Mec1 and Ddc1 checkpoint proteins to double-strand breaks through distinct mechanisms. Science 294:867-870.
  Comment in Nature Molecular Cell Biology Review.
  Highlighted in www.facultyof1000.com.

Training and Positions

1987 Ph.D. 1987, Kyoto University Postgraduate School of Medicine, Japan