１）デオキシリボ核酸分解酵素（DNaseI）の転写調節機構に関する基礎的研究 ：急性心筋梗塞発症後に患者血清中のDNA分解酵素活性が上昇することを発見し、その原因を探るために、DNA分解酵素１遺伝子の発現制御機構を調べ、プロモーター領域や転写調節因子の同定、スプライシングによる発現調節を見出してきた。現在、スプライシングがどのような機構で調節を受けているのかを調べている。
２）ABO式血液型遺伝子の転写調節機構に関する基礎的研究：ABO式血液型遺伝子は転写抑制因子によるプロモーター活性の調節が重要であることが示されており、これに関わる転写抑制因子の蛋白精製とその遺伝子のクローニングに取り組んでいる。
３）ヘテロポリ酸に関する研究：ヘテロポリ酸と呼ばれる一群の無機化合物が示す、生理・生化学的効果を追求してきた。本化合物は、構造が単純な割に実に多彩な効果を示し、例えば、メチシリン耐性黄色ブドウ球菌をβ－ラクタム剤に感受性化させる。この他にも、バイオフィルムの脆弱化、血小板に対する凝集シグナルの発生、アポトーシスの誘導などの作用が見出され、発展途上である。

医学部学生に対する教育としては、法医学の講義及び実習、選択基礎医学実習、遺伝子と病気の講義を行っている。法医学の講義及び実習では、法医病理学、中毒学、遺伝学、医事法制と幅広い領域にわたり講義を行い、病理組織標本の観察、薬毒物の検出、多型形質の検出の実習を行っている。選択基礎医学実習では、赤血球型、血清型、酵素型およびDNA型の検出の実習を行っている。遺伝子と病気の講義では遺伝の基礎から遺伝疾患の原因とその表現型について統合的な講義を行っている。大学院教育としては、遺伝的多型形質の親子鑑定・個人識別への応用について詳しい概説を行い、遺伝標識（酵素型およびDNA型）の検出に関する実習を行っている。

（該当する業務はありません）

当教室では１年間に司法および承諾解剖約120件等を実施している。

1. Yasuda T, Iida R, Kawai Y, Nakajima T, Kominato Y, Fujihara J, Takeshita H. Serum deoxyribonuclease I can be used as a useful marker for diagnosis of death due to ischemic heart disease. Legal Med 11: 5231-5215, 2009.

2. Nakajima T, Takagi R, Tajima Y, Makita C, Kominato Y, Kuribara J, Ohshima S, Tada H, Tsurugaya H, Kobayashi Y, Takeshita H, Kawai Y, Yasuda T. Development of a Sensitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Measurement of DNase I in Human Serum. Clinica Chimica Acta 403: 219-222, 2009.

3. Iida R, Ueki M, Takeshita H, Fujihara J, Nakajima T, Kominato Y, Nagao M, Yasuda T. Genotyping of five single nucleotide polymorphisms in the OCA2 and HERC2 genes associated with blue-brown eye color in the Japanese population. Cell Biochem Funct 27(5): 323-327, 2009.

4. Tajima Y, Takagi R, Kominato Y. A case of acute myocardial infarction after intracoronary stent implantation: demonstration of the stent location by postmortem X-ray examination. Legal Med 11: 226-228, 2009.

5. Kuribara J, Tada H, Kawai Y, Kawaguchi R, Hoshizaki H, Arakawa K, Kitayama M, Kajinami K, Kurabayashi M, Oshima S, Taniguchi K, Kominato Y, Yasuda T. Levels of serum deoxyribonuclease I activity on admission in patients with acute myocardial infarction can be useful in predicting left ventricular enlargement due to remodeling. Journal of Cardiology 53: 196-203, 2009.

6. Ueki M, Takeshita H, Fujihara J, Iida R, Yuasa I, Kato H, Panduro A, Nakajima T, Kominato Y, Yasuda T. Caucasian-specific allele in non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms of the gene encoding deoxyribonuclease I-like 3, potentially relevant to autoimmunity, produces an inactive enzyme. Clinica Chimica Acta 407: 20-24, 2009.

7. Sano R, Hasuike T, Nakano M, Kominato Y, Itoh H. A fatal case of myocardial damage due to misuse of the “designer drug” MDMA. Legal Med 11(6): 294-297, 2009.

8. Shimada I, Matsui K, Kominato Y, Hata Y, Takizawa H, Nishida N. Immunohistochemical study of thyroid transcription factor -1 and surfactant-associated protein A for investigation of periphe- ral airway structure in perinatal fatality. Legal Med 10: 96-100, 2008.

9. Mouri F, Tsukada J, Mizobe T, Higashi T, Yoshida Y, Minami Y, Izumi H, Kominato Y, Kohno K, Tanaka Y. Intracellular HMGB1 transactivates the human IL1B gene promoter through asso- ciation with an Ets transcription factor PU.1. Eur J Haematol. 80(1):10-19, 2008.

10. Ueki M, Iida R, Fujihara J, Takeshita H, Yuasa I, Kominato Y, Yasuda T. Development of geno- typing methods for single nucleotide polymorphism in the human pancreatic ribonuclease gene (RNASE1) and their application to population studies. Biochem Genet. 46(3-4):145-53, 2008.

11. Tajima Y, Takagi R, Nakajima T, Kominato Y. An infant with asymptomatic hepatic granuloma probably caused by bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination found incidentally at autopsy: a case report. Cases J. 1:337(1-5), 2008.

12. Takeshita H, Fujihara J, Soejima M, Koda Y, Yasuda T, Nakajima T. Extremely high prevalence of DNase 1*1 allele in African populations. Cell Biochem Funct 26:151-153, 2008. 

13. Soejima M, Nakajima T, Fujiwara J, Takeshita H, Koda Y. Genetic variation of FUT2 in Ovambos, Turks, and Mongolians. Transfusion 48(7): 1423-1431, 2008. 

14. Komatsu M, Tajima Y, Ito T, Yamashiro Y, Hiramatsu K. Time-suppression test using a colori- metric probe (alamarBlue) that measures bacterial metabolic activity. Biomed Res. 29:171-173, 2008.

15. Ueki M, Takeshita H, Fujihara J, Ueta G, Nakajima T, Kominato Y, Kishi K, Iida R, Yasuda T. Susceptibility of mammalian deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) to proteolysis by proteases and its relationships to tissue distribution: Biochemical and molecular analysis of equine DNase I. Comparative Biochem. Physiol. B Biochem. Mol. Biol. 148(1): 93-102, 2007.

16. Tsuboi K, Asao T, Ide M, Hashimoto S, Noguchi K, Kominato Y, Kuwano H, Yazawa S. α1,2Fucosylation Is a Superior Predictor of Postoperative Prognosis for Colorectal Cancer Compared with Blood Group A, B, or Sialyl Lewis X Antigen Generated within Colorectal Tumor Tissues. Annals of Surgical Oncology 146 (6): 1880-1889, 2007.

17. Kominato Y, Iida R, Nakajima T, Tajima Y, Takagi R, Makita C, Kishi K, Ueki M, Kawai Y, Yasuda T. Hypoxia induces up-regulation of the deoxyribonuclease I gene in the human pancreatic cancer cell line QGP-1. Biochimica et biophysica acta 1770: 1567-1575, 2007.

18. Tajima Y, Takagi R, Kominato Y, Kuwayama N. A case of iatrogenic cerebral infarction demonstrated by postmortem cerebral angiography. Lagal Med 9(6): 326-329, 2007

19. Tajima Y, Komatsu M, Ito T, Keiichi Hiramatsu K. Rapid detection of Staphylococcus aureus strains having reduced susceptibility to vancomycin using a chemiluminescence-based drug-susceptibility test. J Microbiol Methods 70:434-441, 2007.

20. Morikawa N, Kawai Y, Arakawa K, Kumamoto T, Miyamori I, Akao H, Kitayama M, Kajinami K, Lee J-D, Takeshita H, Kominato Y, Yasuda T. Serum deoxyribonuclease I activity can be used as a novel marker of transient myocardial ischaemia: results in vasospastic angina pectoris induced by provocation test. Eur Heart J 28(24): 2992-2997, 2007.

21. Takeshita H, Fujihara J, Soejima M, Koda Y, Toshihiro Y, Nakajima T. Extremely high prevalence of DNase* I allele in African populations. Cell Biochem Funct 26(2): 151-153, 2007.

22. Kominato Y, Tajima Y, Fujikura t, Matsui K, Shimada I, Kuwayama N, Takizawa H: A case of a gunshot wound in which the rupture of the left internal carotid artery was demonstrated by postmortem angiography. Legal Med 9(1): 22-4, 2007

23. Hata Y, Kominato Y, Takizawa H: Identification and characterization of a novel antisense RNA transcribed from the opposite strand of the human blood group ABO gene. Transfusion 47(5): 842-851, 2007

24. Kominato Y, Ueki M, Iida R, Kawai Y, Nakajima T, Makita T, Itoi M, Tajima Y, Kishi K, Yasuda T: Characterization of human deoxyribonuclease I gene (DNASE1) promoters reveals the utilization of two transcription-starting exons and the involvement of Sp1 in its transcriptional regulation. FEBS J 273:3094-3105, 2006.

25. Kumamoto T, Kawai Y, Arakawa K, Morikawa N, Kuribara J, Tada H, Taniguchi K, Tatami R, Miyamori I, Kominato Y, Kishi K, Yasuda T: Association of Gln222Arg polymorphism in the deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) gene with myocardial infarction in Japanese Patients. Eur Heart J 27: 2081-2087, 2006.

26. Arakawa K, Kawai Y, Kumamoto T, Morikawa N, Yoshida M, Tada H, Kawaguchi R, Taniguchi K, Miyamori I, Kominato Y, Kishi K, Yasuda T. Serum deoxyribonuclease I activity can be used as a sensitive marker for detection of transient myocardial ischemia induced by percutaneous coronary intervention. Eur Heart J 26(22): 2375-2380, 2005

27. Morimoto H, Tsukada J, Kominato Y, Tanaka Y. Reduced expression of human mismatch repair genes in adult T-cell leukemia. Am J Hematol 78: 100-107, 2005.

28. Michino J, Hata Y, Matsui K, Takizawa H, Kominato Y, Tabata S, Nishino K, Yasumura S, Kitajima I．Demonstration of A antigen and A allele of ABO histo-blood group in nail in a case with the absence of A antigen and anti-A antibody in blood. Legal Med 7,194-197, 2005.

29. Kominato Y, Hata Y, Matsui K, Takizawa H, Tsukada J, Nakajima T, Kaneko Y, Kishi K. : Transcriptional regulation of the human ABO histo-blood group genes is dependent on the N box upstream of the proximal promoter. Transfusion 44, 1741-1749, 2004.

30. Takeshita H, Nakajima T, Mogi K, Kaneko Y, Yasuda T, Iida R, Kishi K. :Rapid quantification of DNase I activity in one-microliter serum samples. Clin Chem 50(2), 446-8, 2004

31. Kominato Y, Fujikura T, Hata Y, Matsui K, Takizawa H. : A case of postoperative hemorrhage after a hysterectomy in which a bleeding point of the left uterine artery was identified by postmortem angiography. Legal Med 6(3), 187-9, 2004

32. Yasuda T, Iida R, Ueki M, Tsukahara T, Nakajima T, Kominato Y, Takeshita H, Yuasa I, Kishi K. : A novel 56-bp variable tandem repeat polymorphism in the human deoxyribonuclease I gene and its population data. Legal Med 6(4), 242-5, 2004

33. Kawai Y; Yoshida M, Arakawa K, Kumamoto T, Morikawa N, Masamura K, Tada H, Ito S, Hoshizaki H, Oshima S, Taniguchi K, Terasawa H, Miyamori I, Kishi K, Yasuda T. : The diagnostic use of serum deoxyribonuclease I activity as a novel early-phase marker in acute myocardial infarction. Circulation 109(20), 2398-400, 2004

34. Yasuda T, Takeshita H, Iida R, Ueki M, Nakajima T, Kaneko Y, Mogi K, Kominato Y, Kishi K. : A single amino acid substitution can shift the optimun pH of DNase I for enzyme activity: biochemical and molecular analysis of the piscine DNase I family. Biochim Biophys Acta 1672(3), 174-83, 2004

35. Kominato Y, Matsui K, Hata Y, Matsui K, Kuwayama N, Ishizawa S, Takizawa H. : Acute subdural hematoma due to arteriovenous malformation primarily in dura mater: a case report. Legal Med 6(4), 256-60, 2004.

36. Yamamoto M, Yamamoto F, Luong TT, Williams T, Kominato Y, Yamamoto F: Expression profiling of 68 glycosyltransferase genes in 27 different human tissues, by the Systematic Multiplex RT-PCR (SMRT-PCR) method, revealed clustering of sexually related tissues in hierarchical clustering algorithm analysis. Electrophoresis 24(14): 2295-307, 2003

37. Yasuda T, Iida R, Takeshita H, Ueki M, Nakajima T, Kaneko Y, Mogi K, Tsukahara T, Kishi K.: A simple method of DNA extraction and STR typing from urine samples using a commercially available DNA/RNA extraction kit. J Forensic Sci 48(1): 108-10, 2003

38. Takeshita H, Yasuda T, Nakajima T, Mogi K, Kaneko Y, Iida R, Kishi K.: A single amino acid substitution of Leu130Ile in snake DNases I contributes to the acquisition of thermal stability: a clue to the molecular evolutionary mechanism from cold-blooded to warm-blooded vertebrates. Eur J Biochem 270(2): 307-14, 2003

39. Iida R, Yasuda T, Tsubota E, Takatsuka H, Masuyama M, Matsuki T, Kishi K. : M-LP, Mpv17-like protein, has a peroxisomal membrane targeting signal comprising a transmembrane domain and a positively charged loop and up-regulates expression of the manganese superoxide dismutase gene. J Biol Chem 278(8): 6301-6, 2003

40. Mogi K, Takeshita H, Yasuda T, Nakajima T, Nakazato E, Kaneko Y, Itoi M, Kishi K. : Carp hepatopancreatic DNase I: biochemical, molecular and immunological properties. J Biochem 133(3): 377-86, 2003

41. Hata Y, Kominato Y, Takizawa H, Tabata S, Michino J, Nishino K, Yasuhara H, Yamamoto F: Transcription starting from an alternative promoter leads to the expression of the human ABO histo-blood group antigen. Transfusion 43(5): 656-62, 2003

当教室は、初代井関尚栄教授（1911~1986、本学在籍期間1944~1972）が多くの優秀な群馬大学出身者とともに築き上げられた、輝かしい業績および伝統をもった教室である。井関教授は、1956年に「微生物の免疫遺伝学的研究」、1969年に「酵素による血液型の転換に関する実験的研究」によって学士院賞を計２回受賞され、1976年から学士院会員であった（終身）。そのご業績は法医学や医学の領域をはるかに超えて、生命の本質にせまるものであった。
その後、1972~1995年の間、2代目として古川研教授が在籍され、糖鎖血液型抗原の生化学・免疫学・遺伝学・分子生物学、新規なレクチンの開発・生化学、輸血学、人類遺伝学などの領域で活躍された。
1995～2006年、福井医科大学から3代目として岸紘一郎教授が着任し、ヒトをはじめとする脊椎動物由来の核酸分解酵素（DNase および RNase）について生化学、人類遺伝学、進化学等の多分野領域にわたり包括的な研究を行った。2006年４月から4代目として小湊慶彦教授が助教授から昇進し、現在に至っている。