Masatoshi Takeichi

Masatoshi Takeichi (竹市　雅俊, Takeichi Masatoshi, born November 27, 1943) is a Japanese cell biologist known for his identification of the cadherin class of adhesion molecules, which plays important roles in the construction of tissues.^[1] He shared the 2005 Japan Prize with Erkki Ruoslahti for "fundamental contribution in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cell adhesion".^[2]

He was selected as a Member of the Japan Academy (MJA) in 2000 and as a Foreign Associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences.

Research contribution

In 1977 Takeichi discovered cadherin, and since then he has contributed to clarify its functions in tissur construction and to understand the molecular mechanisms of cell adhesion^[2]

Birth and education

Takeichi was born in Aichi prefecture, Japan, on November 27, 1943. He received his BSc in 1966 and MSc in 1968 from Nagoya University, and his Ph.D. in Biophysics from Kyoto University in 1973.^[3]

Academic career

In 1970 Takeich became a member of the faculty of Kyoto University, and he served as Professor of Biophysics from 1986 to 2002. In 2000, he was appointed as Director of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (RIKEN CDB) in 2000.^[3]

Recognition

• 1994 Asahi Prize^[3]
• 1996 Japan Academy Prize^[3]
• 2001 Ross Harrison Prize, International Society of Developmental Biologists^[3]
• 2001 Keio Medical Science Prize^[3]
• 2004 Person of Cultural Merit^[3]
• 2005 Japan Prize^[2]
• 2012 Thomson Reuters Citation Laureates

Selected papers

• Takeichi, M. (1977) Functional correlation between cell adhesive properties and some cell surface proteins. J. Cell Biol. 75, 464-474.
• Yoshida, N. and Takeichi, M. (1982) Teratocarcinoma cell adhesion: Identification of a cell surface protein involved in calcium-dependent cell aggregation. Cell 28, 217-224.
• Hatta, K. and Takeichi, M. (1986) Expression of N-cadherin adhesion molecules associated with early morphogenetic events in chicken embryos. Nature 320, 447-449.
• Nagafuchi, A., Shirayoshi, Y., Okazaki, K., Yasuda, K. and Takeichi, M. (1987) Transformation of cell adhesion properties by exogenously introduced E-cadherin cDNA. Nature 329, 341-343.
• Hirano, S., Kimoto, N., Shimoyama, Y., Hirohashi, S. and Takeichi, M. (1992) Identification of a neural alpha-catenin as a key regulator of cadherin function and multicellular organization. Cell 70, 293-301.

External links

• [www.japan-acad.go.jp/en/members/4/takeichi_masatoshi.html Masatoshi Takeichi, Japan Academy]
• Masatoshi Takeichi, Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences of U.S.A.

References