K. Hirota

Endogenous oncogenic KRAS expression increases cell proliferation and motility in near-diploid hTERT RPE-1 cells

This study shows that endogenous oncogenic KRAS mutations increase cell proliferation and motility in hTERT RPE-1 cells, with differential responses to targeted therapies.

DNA metabarcoding workflow utilizing nanopore long-read sequencing and consensus generation for rapid identification of fungal taxa with high phylogenetic resolution

PCNA recruits cohesin loader Scc2/NIPBL to ensure sister chromatid cohesion

This study shows PCNA recruits the cohesin loader Scc2/NIPBL to establish sister chromatid cohesion during DNA replication in yeast and vertebrates.

A high-throughput 384-well CometChip platform reveals a role for 3-methyladenine in the cellular response to etoposide-induced DNA damage

The paper develops a 384-well CometChip platform for high-throughput DNA damage analysis and identifies 3-methyladenine as an enhancer of etoposide-induced DNA damage.

Independent adoptions of a set of proteins found in the matrix of the mineralized shell-like eggcase of Argonaut octopuses

This study identifies that Argonaut octopuses use a distinct set of proteins to form their shell-like eggcase, which is not homologous to the shells of other mollusks.

Novel Thyroid-Specific Autoantibodies in Patients with Immune-Related Adverse Events Involving the Thyroid Gland

This study identifies novel thyroid-specific autoantibodies in patients with immune-related adverse events involving the thyroid gland using immunoprecipitation and western blot analysis.

MinION™, a portable long-read sequencer, enables rapid vaginal microbiota analysis in a clinical setting

The paper demonstrates that MinION sequencing enables rapid, high-resolution analysis of vaginal microbiota in a clinical setting, identifying species-level profiles associated with health and disease.

Hydrophilic Shell Matrix Proteins of Nautilus pompilius and The Identification of a Core Set of Conchiferan Domains

The paper identifies shell matrix proteins and conserved domains in Nautilus pompilius and compares them with other conchiferans to study shell evolution.

Full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis of human gut microbiota using MinION™ nanopore sequencing confers species-level resolution

This study compares full-length and short-read 16S rRNA gene sequencing using MinION and conventional methods to assess species-level resolution in human gut microbiota.

Cancerous phenotypes associated with hypoxia-inducible factors are not influenced by the volatile anesthetic isoflurane in renal cell carcinoma

This study examines whether isoflurane affects cancer cell phenotypes linked to hypoxia-inducible factors in renal cell carcinoma, finding no positive influence of isoflurane on these traits.

Rapid bacterial identification by direct PCR amplification of 16S rRNA genes using the MinION™ nanopore sequencer

This study develops a rapid bacterial identification method using MinION sequencing and direct PCR of 16S rRNA genes, improving diagnostic speed and accuracy.

Propofol induces metabolic reprogramming and cell death in a mitochondrial electron transport chain-dependent manner

This study shows propofol causes metabolic reprogramming and cell death by impairing mitochondrial function, specifically complexes I and III, and this effect is exacerbated by preexisting mitochondrial dysfunction.