Position Title
Professor
Position Title
Professor
- Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
312 Briggs Hall
Bio
Research Interests
One of the greatest mysteries in biology concerns how life has perpetuated, and continues to perpetuate, from generation to generation. A key feature of the mammalian germline is sexual dimorphism: the dual developmental processes of spermatogenesis and oogenesis. These processes are inherently complex, which poses significant challenges to understanding the perpetuity of life and the development of treatments for germline-derived genetic and epigenetic diseases. Our research directions converge to address how epigenetic mechanisms govern spermatogenesis and oogenesis, culminating in the generation of functional sperm and eggs. Ultimately, we aim to clarify how fundamental germline mechanisms intersect to ensure genome maintenance, genome defense, and epigenetic gene regulation on a systemic level.
Graduate Program Affiliations
Education and Degree(s)
- 2000 B.S. Tokyo University of Science, Japan
- 2002 M.S. Tokyo University of Science, Japan
- 2005 Ph.D. Tokyo University of Science, Japan
Publications
- Site-specific DNA demethylation during spermatogenesis presets the sites of nucleosome retention in mouse sperm.
Maezawa S, Yukawa M, Sakashita A, Barski A, Namekawa SH. eLife. 2025 Apr 9. https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/105926v1 - Broad H3K4me3 Domains Orchestrate Temporal Control of Gene Expression.
Kitamura Y, Hu M, Namekawa SH. Cell Res. 2025 Mar 25. doi: 10.1038/s41422-025-01104-9. - KRAB zinc-finger proteins regulate endogenous retroviruses to sculpt germline transcriptomes and genome evolution.
Otsuka K, Sakashita A, Maezawa S, Schultz RM, Namekawa SH. Genome Res. 2025 Mar 12. doi: 10.1101/gr.279924.124. - CTCF-mediated 3D chromatin sets up the gene expression program in the male germline.
Kitamura Y, Takahashi K, Maezawa S, Munakata Y, Sakashita A, Katz SP, Kaplan N, Namekawa SH. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2025 Mar 3. doi: 10.1038/s41594-025-01482-z. - ZBTB16/PLZF regulates juvenile spermatogonial stem cell development via an extensive transcription factor poising network.
Yi C, Kitamura Y, Maezawa S, Namekawa SH, Cairns BR. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2025 Mar 3. doi: 10.1038/s41594-025-01509-5. - Quantitative CUT&Tag for epigenomic profiling of mouse germ cells.
Hu M, Namekawa SH. Methods Mol Biol. In press. - Priming Epigenetic Landscape at Gene Promoters through Transcriptional Activation in Mammalian Germ Cells.
Li P, Fujisawa T, Narita H, Uneme Y, Seki M, Hu M, Narumi R, Namekawa SH, Khan SS, Davie JR, Suzuki Y, Adachi J, Ashraf A, Inoue A, Siomi MC, Yamanaka S. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Nov 24. doi: 10.1101/2024.11.24.625111. - Chromatin remodeler CHD4 establishes chromatin states required for ovarian reserve formation, maintenance, and male germ cell survival.
Munakata Y, Hu M, Kitamura Y, Dani RG, Bynder AL, Fritz AS, Schultz RM, Namekawa SH. Nucleic Acids Res. 2025 Feb 10;53(3):gkaf008. - Epigenetic priming in the male germline.
Kitamura Y, Namekawa SH. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Jun;86:102190. - ATF7IP2/MCAF2 directs H3K9 methylation and meiotic gene regulation in the male germline.
Alavattam KG, Esparza JM, Hu M, Shimada R, Kohrs AR, Abe H, Munakata Y, Otsuka K, Yoshimura S, Kitamura Y, Yeh YH, Hu YC, Kim J, Andreassen PR, Ishiguro KI, Namekawa SH. Genes Dev. 2024 Mar 22;38(3-4):115-130. - Chromatin remodeler CHD8 is required for spermatogonial proliferation and early meiotic progression.
Nitahara K, Kawamura A, Kitamura Y, Kato K, Namekawa SH, Nishiyama M. Nucleic Acids Res. 2024 Apr 12;52(6):2995-3010. - PRC1 directs PRC2-H3K27me3 deposition to shield adult spermatogonial stem cells from differentiation.
Hu M, Yeh YH, Maezawa S, Nakagawa T, Yoshida S, Namekawa SH. Nucleic Acids Res. 2024 Mar 21;52(5):2306-2322. - PRC1 suppresses a female gene regulatory network to ensure testicular differentiation.
Maezawa S, Yukawa M, Hasegawa K, Sugiyama R, Iizuka M, Hu M, Sakashita A, Vidal M, Koseki H, Barski A, DeFalco T, Namekawa SH. Cell Death Dis. 2023 Aug 4;14(8):501. - Epigenetic programming in the ovarian reserve.
Hu M, Schultz RM, Namekawa SH. Bioessays. 2023 Oct;45(10):e2300069. - Polycomb protein SCML2 mediates paternal epigenetic inheritance through sperm chromatin.
Sakashita A, Ooga M, Otsuka K, Maezawa S, Takeuchi C, Wakayama S, Wakayama T, Namekawa SH. Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 Jul 21;51(13):6668-6683. PMID: 37283086.