It is essential for living organisms to replicate and transfer the genetic information in the genome precisely from parents to offspring. Genomic DNA is packed into chromatin, which consists of fundamental subunits called nucleosomes. Analyses of the molecular mechanisms of replication and transcription are necessary to understand how the genetic information is used at an appropriate time and place in the cells. The chromatin structure is important for this genetic information processing, and intrinsically disordered proteins are directly involved in structural conversions of chromatin.
　The main theme of this research group is functional analysis, using molecular biology techniques, of the nuclear proteins involved in genetic information processing. The target proteins include factors involved in DNA replication-coupled repair, transcription regulation, and chromatin-coupled replication of viruses. The functional analyses of the ID regions of these protein factors are performed in this group. The three researchers in this group analysing the genetic information network of the nucleus will also cooperate with researchers in the structural biology and bioinformatics groups in this research area. Our final goal is to understand the convergence and divergence of the molecular recognition mode of the intrinsically disordered proteins.