1: Association of soy and fermented soy product intake with total and cause specific mortality: prospective cohort study.
Science of the Month - May 2020
BMJ-British Medical Journal.
Ryoko Katagiri, Norie Sawada, Atsushi Goto, Taiki Yamaji, Motoki Iwasaki M, Mitsuhiko Noda, Hiroyasu Iso, Shoichiro Tsugane for the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study Group
Our research group is conducting a cohort study (JPHC Study) to clarify the association between various lifestyle habits and diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, with the aim of contributing to the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases and the extension of healthy life expectancy for the Japanese population. In this paper, we prospectively examined the association between the intake of soy products and fermented soy products and the risk of mortality by following approximately 90,000 men and women aged 45-74 who responded to a dietary survey conducted from 1995-98 until 2012. Soybeans contain various components such as protein, dietary fiber, minerals, and isoflavones. Fermented soy foods like natto and miso, in particular, are expected to have a beneficial effect on health because their components are less likely to be lost during processing. The results showed no clear association between total soy product intake and mortality risk, but for both men and women, a higher intake of fermented soy products was associated with a lower risk of mortality. Furthermore, a higher intake of natto was shown to be associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Although there are limitations to this observational study, the findings suggest that foods unique to Japan may contribute to the longevity of the Japanese people.
(Shoichiro Tsugane, Center for Public Health Sciences, National Cancer Center Japan, 60th Juku)
2: An ultra-stable cytoplasmic antibody engineered for in vivo applications.
Nature Communications.
Kabayama H, Takeuchi M, Tokushige N, Muramatsu S, Kabayama M, Fukuda M, Yamada Y, Mikoshiba K.
Katsuhiko Mikoshiba, a Guest Professor at Keio University (also Professor at ShanghaiTech University, Project Professor at Toho University Faculty of Science, and Visiting Chief Scientist at RIKEN), and Dr. Hiroyuki Kabayama (President and CEO of STAND Therapeutics, Inc.), in collaboration with Professor Shinichi Muramatsu of Jichi Medical University and Professor Mitsunori Fukuda of Tohoku University, published a paper in Nature Communications (Jan 17, 2020) on their research achievements at RIKEN, titled "An ultra-stable cytoplasmic antibody engineered for in vivo applications." They have succeeded for the first time in the world in developing a technology for stable cytoplasmic antibodies (STANDs), which enable the functional inhibition of intracellular proteins, something that was impossible with conventional antibodies. This will lead to a better understanding of life phenomena and the development of therapeutic drugs for diseases through the manipulation of intracellular protein functions. Currently, the targets of all various approved and marketed antibody drugs are extracellular molecules. Antibody proteins are correctly folded in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum within the cell and secreted outside the cell. However, when antibodies are produced in the cytoplasm, they cannot fold correctly, causing them to aggregate and become unable to act on their targets. The research team succeeded in stabilizing unstable antibodies that aggregate in the cytoplasm by fusing them with a peptide tag that has a strong negative charge. They successfully used this method in vivo to suppress neural activity and inhibit the function of Kras, a member of the ras family involved in about 25% of human cancers. In the future, this intracellular antibody production technology is expected to advance the functional analysis of intracellular proteins and the development of intracellular antibody drugs.
(Katsuhiko Mikoshiba, Guest Professor at Keio University, Professor at ShanghaiTech University, Project Professor at Toho University Faculty of Science, 48th Juku)
Other Published Papers
1: IP3 Receptor Plasticity Underlying Diverse Functions.
Annual Review of Physiology, Vol 82. (Annual Review of Physiology; 82).
Hamada K, Mikoshiba K.