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Akiko Mizokami Last modified date:2023.12.06

Associate Professor / Division of Oral Biological Sciences
Department of Dental Science
Faculty of Dental Science


Graduate School


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Homepage
https://kyushu-u.elsevierpure.com/en/persons/akiko-mizokami
 Reseacher Profiling Tool Kyushu University Pure
Phone
092-642-6320
Academic Degree
Ph.D (dental science)
Country of degree conferring institution (Overseas)
No
Field of Specialization
Biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular biology
ORCID(Open Researcher and Contributor ID)
0000-0002-7490-5190
Total Priod of education and research career in the foreign country
00years00months
Research
Research Interests
  • The roles of hyaluronan in the progression of type 1 diabetes.
    keyword : Type 1 diabetes, hyaluronan, α cell
    2023.04~2025.06.
  • Sex differences in neurodegenerative diseases
    keyword : Sex differences, microglia, neurodegenerative diseases, miRNA
    2022.04~2025.03.
  • Role of PLC-related catalytically inactive protein (PRIP) in regulation of tumor microenvironment
    keyword : Tumor microenvironment, Tumor immunology, PRIP
    2021.04~2023.03.
  • Sex difference in the development of obesity
    keyword : obesity, sex difference, adipocyte
    2019.09~2020.03.
  • Role of osteocalcin in protection from sarcopenia obesity.

    keyword : Sarcopenic obesity, osteocalcin
    2018.04~2021.03.
  • Osteocalcin as a new preventive agent for metabolic syndrome
    keyword : Osteocalcin, Metabolic syndrome, Bone
    2015.01~2016.01.
  • Roles of bone derived hormone osteocalcin in energy metabolism
    keyword : Osteocalcin, incretin, glucose metabolism
    2013.08.
  • A role of GABA signal-regulating molecule in feeding regulation
    keyword : PRIP, energy metabolism
    2010.04~2014.03.
Academic Activities
Reports
1. Akiko Mizokami, Tomoyo Kawakubo-Yasukochi, Masato Hirata, Osteocalcin and its endocrine functions, Biochemical Pharmacology, 10.1016/j.bcp.2017.02.001, 2017.05, Bone has traditionally been regarded as a static structural organ that supports movement of the body and protects the internal organs. However, evidence has been accumulated in the past decade showing that bone also functions as an endocrine organ that regulates systemic glucose and energy metabolism. Osteocalcin, an osteoblast-specific secreted protein, acts as a hormone by stimulating insulin production and increasing energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity in target organs. Animal studies have shown that an increase in the circulating concentration of osteocalcin, including via exogenous application of the protein, prevents obesity and glucose intolerance. Moreover, a number of epidemiological analyses support the role of osteocalcin in the regulation of glucose and energy homeostasis in humans. Therefore, it has been suggested that osteocalcin could be a feasible preventive or therapeutic agent for metabolic disorders. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the endocrine functions of osteocalcin and its various modes of action..
2. Akiko Mizokami, Tomoyo Kawakubo-Yasuchochi, Hiroshi Takeuchi, Masato Hirata, Organ network for preventing metabolic syndromes with a reference to the roles of osteocalcin, Folia Pharmacologica Japonica, 10.1254/fpj.145.201, 2015.01.
Papers
1. Kayo Mori, Akiko Mizokami, Tomomi Sano, Satoru Mukai, Fumitaka Hiura, Yasunori Ayukawa, Kiyoshi Koyano, Takashi Kanematsu, Eijiro Jim, RANKL elevation activates NIK/NF-κB pathway, inducing obesity in ovariectomized mice, Journal of Endocrinology, https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-21-0424, 2022.04, Menopausal women are susceptible to visceral obesity, which increases the risk of metabolic disorders. However, the mechanisms of menopause-induced visceral fat accumulation are not fully understood. Circulating levels of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) ligand (RANKL) are elevated in an animal model of menopause. RANKL, a multifunctional cytokine, activates the NF-κB pathway, which serves as a pivotal mediator of inflammatory responses. Here, we investigated whether RANKL-induced non-canonical NF-κB pathway activation induces inflammation and lipid accumulation in adipose tissues. RANKL induced Tnfa expression via the non-canonical NF-κB pathway in bone marrow cells. We therefore analyzed aly/aly mice, in which the non-canonical NF-κB pathway is not activated, owing to an inactive form of NF-κB-inducing kinase. A postmenopausal obesity model was generated by ovariectomy and subsequent high-fat and high-sucrose diet feeding. In aly/aly mice with postmenopausal obesity, serum RANKL levels were elevated, and hepatic lipid accumulation and adipocyte hypertrophy were suppressed, resulting in reduced macrophage infiltration and inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in visceral adipose tissue. Furthermore, aly/aly mice showed protection from glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, which were observed in ovariectomized wild-type obese mice. These findings indicate that non-canonical NF-κB pathway activation via serum RANKL elevation contributes to postmenopausal obesity..
2. Mizokami A., Mukai S., Gao J., Kawakubo-Yasukochi T., Otani T., Takeuchi H., Jimi E., Hirata M., GLP-1 signaling is required for improvement of glucose tolerance by osteocalcin, Journal of Endocrinology, 10.1530/JOE-19-0288, 2020.01.
3. Akiko Mizokami, Da Guang Wang, Mitsuru Tanaka, Jing Gao, Hiroshi Takeuchi, Toshiro Matsui, Masato Hirata, An extract from pork bones containing osteocalcin improves glucose metabolism in mice by oral administration, Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry, 10.1080/09168451.2016.1214530, 80, 11, 2176-2183, 2016.11, Osteocalcin (OC) is a bone-derived hormone that regulates energy metabolism. OC exists in two forms, carboxylated (GlaOC) and uncaboxylated (GluOC), but only the latter appears to have an endocrine function. In this study, we prepared an extract containing both Gla- and GluOC from boiled pork bone using 0.2 M carbonate buffer at pH 9.5, and tested whether the extract had beneficial effects on improving metabolic parameters in obese mice. The extract equivalent of 1.2 μg of GluOC/mouse was orally administrated to C57BL/6 female mice fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet. Daily oral administration of the extract for four weeks decreased blood glucose levels and promoted glucose tolerance as well as insulin sensitivity. Our study shows for the first time that boiled pork bones are a source material for osteocalcin in the large-scale production of supplements designed to improve glucose metabolism..
4. Yu Yasutake, Akiko Mizokami, Tomoyo Kawakubo-Yasukochi, Sakura Chishaki, Ichiro Takahashi, Hiroshi Takeuchi, Masato Hirata, Long-term oral administration of osteocalcin induces insulin resistance in male mice fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet, American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism, 10.1152/ajpendo.00334.2015, 310, 8, E662-E675, 2016.04, Uncarboxylated osteocalcin (GluOC), a bone-derived hormone, regulates energy metabolism by stimulating insulin secretion, pancreatic β-cell proliferation, and adiponectin expression in adipocytes. Previously, we showed that long-term intermittent or daily oral administration of GluOC reduced the fasting blood glucose level, improved glucose tolerance, and increased the fasting serum insulin concentration as well as pancreatic β-cell area in female mice fed a normal or high-fat, high-sucrose diet. We have now performed similar experiments with male mice and found that such GluOC administration induced glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and adipocyte hypertrophy in those fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet. In addition, GluOC increased the circulating concentration of testosterone and reduced that of adiponectin in such mice. These phenotypes were not observed in male mice fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet after orchidectomy, but they were apparent in orchidectomized male mice or intact female mice that were fed such a diet and subjected to continuous testosterone supplementation. Our results thus reveal a sex difference in the effects of GluOC on glucose homeostasis. Given that oral administration of GluOC has been considered a potentially safe and convenient option for the treatment or prevention of metabolic disorders, this sex difference will need to be taken into account in further investigations..
5. Akiko Mizokami, Yu Yasutake, Sen Higashi, Tomoyo Kawakubo-Yasukochi, Sakura Chishaki, Ichiro Takahashi, Hiroshi Takeuchi, Masato Hirata, Oral administration of osteocalcin improves glucose utilization by stimulating glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion, Bone, 10.1016/j.bone.2014.09.006, 69, 68-79, 2014.09, Uncarboxylated osteocalcin (GluOC), a bone-derived hormone, regulates energy metabolism by stimulating insulin secretion and pancreatic β-cell proliferation. We previously showed that the effect of GluOC on insulin secretion is mediated largely by glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secreted from the intestine in response to GluOC exposure. We have now examined the effect of oral administration of GluOC on glucose utilization as well as the fate of such administered GluOC in mice. Long-term intermittent or daily oral administration of GluOC reduced the fasting blood glucose level and improved glucose tolerance in mice without affecting insulin sensitivity. It also increased the fasting serum insulin concentration as well as the β-cell area in the pancreas. A small proportion of orally administered GluOC reached the small intestine and remained there for at least 24. h. GluOC also entered the general circulation, and the serum GLP-1 concentration was increased in association with the presence of GluOC in the intestine and systemic circulation. The putative GluOC receptor, GPRC6A was detected in intestinal cells, and was colocalized with GLP-1 in some of these cells. Our results suggest that orally administered GluOC improved glucose handling likely by acting from both the intestinal lumen and the general circulation, with this effect being mediated in part by stimulation of GLP-1 secretion. Oral administration of GluOC warrants further study as a safe and convenient option for the treatment or prevention of metabolic disorders..
6. Akiko Mizokami, Yu Yasutake, Jing Gao, Miho Matsuda, Ichiro Takahashi, Hiroshi Takeuchi, Masato Hirata, Osteocalcin Induces Release of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 and Thereby Stimulates Insulin Secretion in Mice, PLoS One, 10.1371/journal.pone.0057375, 8, 2, 2013.02, The uncarboxylated form (ucOC), but not the γ-carboxylated form (GlaOC), of the bone-derived protein osteocalcin stimulates insulin secretion and regulates energy metabolism in insulin target tissues. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an insulin secretagogue that is released from the gut in response to food intake. We have now found that Gprc6a, a putative ucOC receptor, is expressed in epithelial cells of the mouse small intestine as well as in STC-1 enteroendocrine cells. Secretion of GLP-1 by STC-1 cells was stimulated by ucOC but not by GlaOC. The serum GLP-1 concentration in mice was increased by intraperitoneal or oral administration of ucOC, whereas GlaOC was effective in this regard only after oral application. Serum insulin levels were also increased by ucOC, and this effect was potentiated by an inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase IV and blocked by a GLP-1 receptor antagonist. Intravenous injection of ucOC in mice increased the serum GLP-1 concentration, and also increased the serum level of insulin. Our results suggest that ucOC acts via Gprc6a to induce GLP-1 release from the gut, and that the stimulatory effect of ucOC on insulin secretion is largely mediated by GLP-1..
7. Akiko Mizokami, Takashi Kanematsu, Hitoshi Ishibashi, Taku Yamaguchi, Isei Tanida, Kei Takenaka, Keiichi Nakayama, Kiyoko Fukami, Tadaomi Takenawa, Eiki Kominami, Stephen J. Moss, Tsuneyuki Yamamoto, Junichi Nabekura, Masato Hirata, Phosholipase C-related inactive protein is involved in trafficking of γ2 subunit-containing GABAA receptors to the cell surface, Journal of Neuroscience, 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3155-06.2007, 27, 7, 1692-1701, 2007.02, The subunit composition of GABAA receptors is known to be associated with distinct physiological and pharmacological properties. Previous studies that used phospholipase C-related inactive protein type 1 knock-out (PRIP-1 KO) mice revealed that PRIP-1 is involved in the assembly and/or the trafficking of γ2 subunit-containing GABAA receptors. There are two PRIP genes in mammals; thus the roles of PRIP-1 might be compensated partly by those of PRIP-2 in PRIP-1 KO mice. Here we used PRIP-1 and PRIP-2 double knock-out (PRIP-DKO) mice and examined the roles for PRIP in regulating the trafficking of GABAA receptors. Consistent with previous results, sensitivity to diazepam was reduced in electrophysiological and behavioral analyses of PRIP-DKO mice, suggesting an alteration of γ2 subunit-containing GABAA receptors. The surface numbers of diazepam binding sites (α/γ2 subunits) assessed by [3H]flumazenil binding were reduced in the PRIP-DKO mice as compared with those of wild-type mice, whereas the cell surface GABA binding sites (α/β subunits, assessed by [3H]muscimol binding) were increased in PRIP-DKO mice. The association between GABAA receptors and GABAA receptor-associated protein (GABARAP) was reduced significantly in PRIP-DKO neurons. Disruption of the direct interaction between PRIP and GABAA receptor β subunits via the use of a peptide corresponding to the PRIP-1 binding site reduced the cell surface expression of γ2 subunit-containing GABAA receptors in cultured cell lines and neurons. These results suggest that PRIP is implicated in the trafficking of γ2 subunit-containing GABAA receptors to the cell surface, probably by acting as a bridging molecule between GABARAP and the receptors..
Presentations
1. 溝上 顕子, 安武 雄, 竹内 弘, 高 靖, 平田 雅人, Osteocalcin induces release of glucagon-like peptide-1 and improves metabolic state in mice, The 8th Japan-Korea Conference on Cellular Signaling for Young Scientists, 2013.11.
Membership in Academic Society
  • The Japanese Association for Gender-Specific Medicine
  • Japanese Pharmacological Society
  • The Japanese Biochemical Society
Awards
  • The 32nd Japanese Association for Oral Biology Encouragement Award