Yousuke Takahama, Ph.D.

Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute

Building 10, Room 4B10
Bethesda, MD 20892
240-858-3223
yousuke.takahama@nih.gov

Senior Investigator

Experimental Immunology Branch

Section Chief, Thymus Biology Section

RESEARCH SUMMARY

The current interest of our laboratory is to understand molecular mechanisms (1) that build functionally competent thymus microenvironments, which are capable of supporting the production and selection of T cells, (2) that govern thymic selection to establish a functionally competent repertoire of mature T cells, and (3) that position developing T cells to localize within the thymus microenvironments for T cell repertoire formation.

Areas of Expertise

Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy

Thymus Biology

Thymic Epithelial Cells

Thymus Development

T Cell Development

T Cell Repertoire Selection

Research
Publications
Biography
Job Vacancies
Team
News

Research

The questions we would like to address in the next few years include how cortical and medullary microenvironments in the thymus positively and negatively select functionally potent and self-tolerant T cell repertoire. We would also like to study the mechanisms involved in how diverse microenvironments are formed in the thymus to shape T cell repertoire and how multiple thymic microenvironments sequentially guide to position developing T cells for their repertoire formation.

Publications

Functionally diverse thymic medullary epithelial cells interplay to direct central tolerance

Ushio A, Matsuda-Lennikov M, Kalle-Youngoue F, Shimizu A, Abdelmaksoud A, Kelly MC, Ishimaru N, Takahama Y.

Cell Reports. 43: 114072, 2024.

Full-Text Article

[ Journal Article ]

Developmental conversion of thymocyte-attracting cells into self-antigen-displaying cells in embryonic thymus medulla epithelium

Ohigashi I, White AJ, Yang MT, Fujimori S, Tanaka Y, Jacques A, Kiyonari H, Matsushita Y, Turan S, Kelly MC, Anderson G, Takahama Y.

eLife. 12: 92552 , 2024.

Full-Text Article

[ Journal Article ]

The thymoproteasome hardwires the TCR repertoire of CD8+ T cells in the cortex independent of negative selection

Ohigashi I, Frantzeskakis M, Jacques A, Fujimori S, Ushio A, Yamashita F, Ishimaru N, Yin D, Cam M, Kelly MC, Awasthi P, Takada K, Takahama Y.

J Exp Med. 218: e20201904, 2021.

Full-Text Article

[ Journal Article ]

Trans-omics impact of thymoproteasome in cortical thymic epithelial cells

Ohigashi I, Tanaka Y, Kondo K, Fujimori S, Kondo H, Palin AC, Hoffmann V, Kozai M, Matsushita Y, Uda S, Motosugi R, Hamazaki J, Kubota H, Murata S, Tanaka K, Katagiri T, Kosako H, Takahama Y.

Cell Reports. 29: 2901-2916, 2019.

Full-Text Article

[ Journal Article ]

Essential role of CCL21 in establishment of central self-tolerance in T cells

Kozai M, Kubo Y, Katakai T, Kondo H, Kiyonari H, Schaeuble K, Luther SA, Ishimaru N, Ohigashi I, Takahama Y.

J Exp Med. 214: 1925-1935, 2017.

Full-Text Article

[ Journal Article ]

Biography

Senior Investigator

Yousuke Takahama, Ph.D.

Yousuke Takahama received his Ph.D. from Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. He was a visiting fellow and visiting associate in the Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, where he studied thymocyte development and selection. He then started working on the biology of thymic microenvironments at Syntex Institute of Immunology and the University of Tsukuba in Japan. In 1999, he was appointed a Professor of Experimental Immunology, University of Tokushima. In 2018, he moved back to the United States to establish a new laboratory as a Senior Investigator in Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute. He is a founding organizer of the Global Thymus Network. His main interests are the development and function of the thymus and thymic epithelial cells, especially with regard to the repertoire selection of T lymphocytes.