Kazuo Takayama

This study identifies the non-spike R204P mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XEC variant as a driver of increased inflammation and pathogenicity through NF-κB activation.

This study uses human respiratory organoids to show that a cattle-derived H5N1 isolate replicates efficiently but suppresses innate immune responses, explaining its mild clinical presentation in humans.

This paper introduces CoVFit, a protein language model that predicts SARS-CoV-2 variant fitness using spike protein sequences, identifying fitness-enhancing mutations and predicting emerging variants.

This study investigates the evolutionary changes from BA.2.86 to JN.1, showing that non-spike protein mutations compensate for reduced spike protein replication, enhancing viral fitness.

This study uses human brain organoid microphysiological systems to show that AD patient monocytes cause increased inflammation and reduced Aβ clearance in organoids compared to controls.

The paper investigates the virological features of the SARS-CoV-2 EG.5.1 variant, finding its fitness and antiviral sensitivity comparable to XBB.1.5, with structural differences in spike proteins.

This study investigates the virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 variant, finding it has higher reproduction number than EG.5.1 but lower pathogenicity and replication capacity compared to BA.2.

This study investigates the virological properties of the SARS-CoV-2 HK.3 variant, a FLip variant with substitutions S:L455F and S:F456L, to assess its growth advantage.

The paper identifies 47 unique truncated ORF8 protein variants in B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 sequences and defines nine possible variants based on physicochemical properties.

The paper analyzes S-protein variants of SARS-CoV-2 from six continents, finding North America has the most unique variants, which may spread globally, suggesting travel restrictions and vaccine updates are needed.

The paper analyzes sequence variations and structural properties of SARS-CoV-2 ORF10 protein to assess its role in viral pathogenicity and potential as a pharmaceutical target.

This study analyzes the ORF8 protein of SARS-CoV-2 and its mutations across human, bat, and pangolin hosts to understand its role in immune evasion and evolutionary dynamics.

The paper analyzes ACE2 receptors across nineteen species to propose a possible SARS-CoV-2 transmission flow based on receptor-binding domain interactions.

The paper analyzes variations in SARS-CoV-2 accessory proteins across global proteomes and finds ORF3a has the highest unique variations, suggesting these variations may influence pathogenicity.