Briefings in Functional Genomics and Proteomics Advance Access published online on February 20, 2006
Briefings in Functional Genomics and Proteomics, doi:10.1093/bfgp/ell005
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* To whom correspondence should be addressed. The Kazusa cDNA project pioneered an extensive sequencing project of human cDNAs in their entirety and focused sequencing efforts particularly on large cDNAs encoding large proteins. More than 2000 human genes, referred to as ‘KIAA’ genes, were initially identified through this cDNA project. Since many KIAA genes still remain functionally uncharacterized, our current focus is to determine their biological functions in vivo. In this review, we describe the current status of the Kazusa mammalian cDNA resources and the future direction of the functional characterization of KIAA genes. Dr Takahiro Nagase obtained his PhD in pharmaceutical sciences at Science University of Tokyo in 1991. After having studied regulatory mechanism of gene expression at RIKEN as a termed scientist (1988-1992) he studied as a special researcher of Kazusa DNA Research Institute (KDRI) at Institute of Gerontology, Nippon Medical School and finally moved to KDRI in 1994 as a researcher. He has been making efforts to isolate and analyze cDNAs for human genes previously unidentified in the last decade to accelerate molecular biological studies. He is continuously studying functions of the gene products by cell biological approach at KDRI as head of the First Laboratory for Human Gene Research. He is also acting as a visiting professor of laboratory of Genome Structure and Function in graduate School of Life Sciences Tohoku University. Dr Hisashi Koga is the team leader of the CREATE (Collaboration of Regional Entities for the Advancement of Technological Excellence) program from JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) and senior researcher (head of the mouse cDNA bank section) of the Kazusa DNA Research Institute (KDRI). He is also a lecturer at the Brain Research Institute at Niigata University. He obtained his MD from the University of the Ryukyu Faculty of Medicine (1988) and his PhD from the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University (1998). After one and a half years of postdoctoral work in the Department of Tumor Virology at Heinrich-Pette-Institute (Hamburg, Germany), he returned to Japan and joined the Helix Research Institute in 2000. At the end of 2001 he moved to KDRI. The main focus of his present research is the use of genomic and proteomic resources to design a suitable platform for chemical genetics. Dr Osamu Ohara obtained his PhD in biophysics at Kyoto University in 1983. After having worked for a pharmaceutical company in Japan for 11 years, he moved to Kazusa DNA Research Institute (KDRI) in 1994. He has been involved in human cDNA sequencing project at KDRI and currently acts as department head of Human Gene Research. One of his research goals is to fill the gap between transcriptome and proteome through cDNA analysis while he is interested in development of various analysis platforms of gene functions. He also combines with group director of Immunogenomics group at RIKEN research center for Allergy and Immunology and visiting professor of pharmacogenomics laboratory in graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chiba University.
Paper
Kazusa mammalian cDNA resources: towards functional characterization of KIAA gene products
Takahiro Nagase,
Hisashi Koga,
and
Osamu Ohara *
Osamu Ohara, E-mail: ohara{at}kazusa.or.jp
Abstract 
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