Our laboratory is interested in understanding the function of chromatin regulators (transcription factors and chromatin remodelers) in cancer. Recent large-scale genome profiling revealed frequent mutations on chromatin regulator genes in various cancers. By using a combination of genomics, biochemistry, and genome editing techniques, we study basic mechanisms and cancer specific functions of chromatin regulators. 

1. Grimm SA, Shimbo T, Takaku M, Thomas JW, Auerbach S, Bennett B, Bucher JR, Burkholder AB, Day F, Du Y, French JE, Li J, Merrick BA. Tice RR, Wang T, Xu X, Bushel P, Fargo DC, Mullikin JC, Wade PA. DNA methylation in mice is influenced by genetics
   as well as sex and life experience, Nat Commun, 10(1)
2. Blok LS, Rousseau J, Twist J, Ehresmann S, Takaku M, et al. (2018) Missense mutations disrupting the helicase domain of chromatin remodeller CHD3 cause a novel neurodevelopmental syndrome with intellectual disability, macrocephaly and impaired speech and language, Nat Commun, 9 (4619)
   
   
3. Takaku M, Grimm SA, Roberts JD, Chrysovergis K, Bennett BD, Myers P, Perera L, Tucker CJ, Perou CM, and Wade PA. (2018) GATA3 Zinc Finger 2 mutations reprogram the breast cancer transcriptional network, Nat Commun, 9 (1) 
   
   
4. Li P, Wang L, Bennett BD, Wang J, Li J, Qin Y, Takaku M, Wade PA, Wong J, Hu G (2017) Rif1 Promotes a Repressive Chromatin State to Safeguard Against Endogenous Retrovirus Activation, Nucleic Acids Res, 45(22):12723-12738
   
   
5. Zhang S, Takaku M, Zou L, Gu A, Chou W, Zhang G, Wu B, Kong Q, Thomas SY, Serody JS, Chen X, Xu X, Wade PA, Cook DN, Ting JP, Wan YY (2017) Releasing Ski-Smad4 mediated suppression is essential to license Th17 differentiation, Nature, 551(7678):105-109
   
   
6. Thomas SY, Whitehead GS, Takaku M, Ward JM, Xu X, Nakano K, Lyons-Cohen MR, Nakano H, Gowdy KM, Wade PA, Cook DN (2017) MyD88-dependent Dendritic and Epithelial Cell Crosstalk Orchestrates Immune Responses to Allergens, Mucosal Immunol, doi: 10.1038/mi.2017.84
   
   
7. Kobayashi W, Takaku M, Machida S, Tachiwana H, Maehara K, Ohkawa Y, Kurumizaka H (2016) Chromatin architecture may dictate the target site for DMC1, but not for RAD51, during homologous pairing, Sci Rep, 6:24228
   
   
8. Shimbo T, Takaku M, Wade PA (2016) High-quality ChIP-seq analysis of MBD3 in human breast cancer cells, Genom Data, 7:173-4
   
   
9. Takaku M, Grimm SA, Shimbo T, Perera L, Menafra R, Stunnenberg HG, Archer TK, Machida S, Kurumizaka H, Wade PA (2016) GATA3-dependent cellular reprogramming requires activation-domain dependent recruitment of a chromatin remodeler, Genome Biol, 17(1):36
   
   
10. Machida M, Hayashida R, Takaku M, Fukuto A, Sun J, Kinomura A, Tashiro S, Kurumizaka H (2016) Relaxed Chromatin Formation and Weak Suppression of Homologous Pairing by the Testis-Specific Linker Histone H1T, Biochemistry, 55(4):637-46
    
    
11. Takaku M, Grimm SA, Wade PA. (2015) GATA3 in Breast Cancer: Tumor Suppressor or Oncogene?, Gene Expr, 16(4)
    
    
12. Machida S*, Takaku M*, Ikura M, Sun J, Suzuki H, Kobayashi W, Kinomura A, Osakabe A, Tachiwana H, Horikoshi Y, Fukuto A, Matsuda R, Ura K, Tashiro S, Ikura T, Kurumizaka H. (2014) *co-first authors. Nap1 stimulates homologous recombination by RAD51 and RAD54 in higher-ordered chromatin containing histone H1, Sci Rep, 4:4863
    
    
13. Adomas AB, Grimm SA, Malone C, Takaku M, Sims JK, Wade PA. (2014) Breast tumor specific mutation in GATA3 affects physiological mechanisms regulating transcription factor turnover, BMC Cancer, 14:278
    
    
14. Osakabe A, Tachiwana H, Takaku M, Hori T, Obuse C, Kimura H, Fukagawa T, Kurumizaka H. (2013) Vertebrate Spt2 is a novel nucleolar histone chaperone that assists in ribosomal DNA transcription, J Cell Sci, 126(Pt 6):1323-1332
    
    
15. Morozumi Y, Ino R, Takaku M, Hosokawa M, Chuma S, Kurumizaka H. (2012) Human PSF concentrates DNA and stimulates duplex capture in DMC1-mediated homologous pairing, Nucleic Acids Res, 40(7):3031-3041
    
    
16. Takaku M*, Tsujita T*, Horikoshi N, Takizawa Y, Qing Y, Hirota K, Ikura M, Ikura T, Takeda S, Kurumizaka H. (2011) *co-first authors. Purification of the human SMN-GEMIN2 complex and assessment of its stimulation of RAD51-mediated DNA recombination reactions, Biochemistry, 50(32):6797-6805
    
    
17. Takaku M*, Ueno H*, and Kurumizaka H. (2011) *co-first authors. Biochemical analysis of the human Ena/Vasp-family proteins, MENA, VASP, and EVL, in homologous recombination., J Biochem, 149(6):721-729
    
    
18. Takaku M*, Kainuma T*, Ishida-Takaku T, Ishigami S, Suzuki H, Tashiro S, van Soest RW, Nakao Y and Kurumizaka H. (2011) *co-first authors. Halenaquinone, a chemical compound that specifically inhibits the secondary DNA binding of RAD51., Genes Cell., 16(4):427-436
    
    
19. Takaku M, Takahashi D, Machida S, Ueno H, Hosoya N, Ikawa S, Miyagawa K, Shibata T, Kurumizaka H. (2010) Single-stranded DNA catenation mediated by human EVL and a type I topoisomerase, Nucleic Acids Res, 38(21):7579-7586.
    
    
20. Takizawa Y, Qing Y, Takaku M, Ishida T, Morozumi Y, Tsujita T, Kogame T, Hirota K, Takahashi M, Shibata T, Kurumizaka H, Takeda S. (2010) GEMIN2 promotes accumulation of RAD51 at double-strand breaks in homologous recombination, Nucleic Acids Res, 38(15):5059-5074
    
    
21. Horikoshi N, Morozumi Y, Takaku M, Takizawa Y, Kurumizaka H. (2010) Holliday junction-binding activity of human SPF45., Genes Cell., 15(4):373-383
    
    
22. Takaku M, Machida S, Nakayama S, Takahashi D, Kurumizaka H. (2009) Biochemical analysis of the human EVL domains in homologous recombination, FEBS J, 276(20):5841-5848
    
    
23. Morozumi Y, Takizawa Y, Takaku M, Kurumizaka H. (2009) Human PSF binds to RAD51 and modulates its homologous-pairing and strand-exchange activities, Nucleic Acids Res, 37(13):4296-4307.
    
    
24. Katsura M, Tsuruga T, Date O, Yoshihara T, Ishida M, Tomoda Y, Okajima M, Takaku M, Kurumizaka H, Kinomura A, Mishima HK, Miyagawa K. (2009) The ATR-Chk1 pathway plays a role in the generation of centrosome aberrations induced by Rad51C dysfunction, Nucleic Acids Res, 37(12):3959-3968
    
    
25. Takaku M, Machida S, Hosoya N, Nakayama S, Takizawa Y, Sakane I, Shibata T, Miyagawa K, Kurumizaka H. (2009) Recombination activator function of the novel RAD51- and RAD51B-binding protein, human EVL, J Biol Chem, 284(21):14326-14336

Postdoc training, Dr. Paul A. Wade laboratory, ESCBL, National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, RTP, NC.

Ph.D., Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

M.Sc., Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

B.Sc., Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan