RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences Laboratory for Epigenome Inheritance

Team Director: Azusa Inoue (Ph.D.)

Japanese Page

Research Summary

Our laboratory is aimed to understand the inheritance mechanisms of epigenetic information across generations and to create new diagnostic and preventive strategies for disease predisposition. We study how environmental stresses in the parental generation lead to disease development in the next generation via epigenetic mechanisms in germline cells, and in particular, how these changes are transmitted to the next generation by overcoming genome-wide reprogramming that occurs immediately after fertilization. In addition, we contribute to the development of epigenetic research in Japan through the development and application of low-input epigenome analysis technologies.

Main Research Fields

Biology

Related Research Fields

Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy
Molecular biology-related
Embryonic medicine and pediatrics-related
Animal life science-related

Keywords

Epigenetics
Oocyte
Preimplantation embryo
Fetal programming
Low-input epigenome technology

Selected Publications

Papers with an asterisk(*) are based on research conducted outside of RIKEN.

1. Mei H, Kozuka C, Kumon M, Koseki H, and Inoue A.
"H2AK119ub1–MLL2 counteraction underlies heritable H3K27me3 formation in oocytes."
Mol Cell 86, 1-17 (2026)
2. Mei H, Hayashi R, Kozuka C, Kumon M, Koseki H, and Inoue A.
"H2A.Z reinforces maternal H3K4me3 formation and is essential for meiotic progression in mouse oocytes."
Nat Struct Mol Biol 32(10), 1883–1893. (2025)
3. Matsuwaka M, Kumon M, Inoue A.
"H3K27 dimethylation dynamics reveal stepwise establishment of facultative heterochromatin in early mouse embryos."
Nat Cell Biol. 27(1): 28–38. (2025)
4. Inoue A.
"Noncanonical imprinting: Intergenerational epigenetic inheritance mediated by Polycomb complexes."
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 78:102015, 1-9 (2023)
5. Hayashi R, Inoue A.
"Low-input CUT&RUN for Mouse Oocytes and Preimplantation Embryos."
Methods Mol Biol 2577:83-92 (2023)
6. Matoba S, Kozuka C, Miura K, Inoue K, Kumon M, Hayashi R, Ohhata T, Ogura A, Inoue A.
"Noncanonical imprinting sustains embryonic development and restrains placental overgrowth"
Genes Dev. 36:483-494. (2022)
7. Mei H, Kozuka C, Hayashi R, Kumon M, Koseki H, Inoue A
"H2AK119ub1 guides maternal inheritance and zygotic deposition of H3K27me3 in mouse embryos."
Nat Genet. 53:539-550. (2021)
8. *Inoue A, Chen Z, Yin Q, Zhang Y.
"Maternal Eed knockout causes loss of H3K27me3 imprinting and random X inactivation in the extraembryonic cells."
Genes Dev. 32, 1525-36. (2018)
9. *Inoue A, Jiang L, Lu F, Zhang Y.
"Genomic imprinting of Xist by maternal H3K27me3."
Genes Dev. 31, 1927-32. (2017)
10. *Inoue A, Jiang L, Lu F, Suzuki T, Zhang Y.
"Maternal H3K27me3 controls DNA methylation-independent imprinting."
Nature 547(7664), 419-24. (2017)