Education

Ph.D. in Developmental Biology, Hiroshima University, 1999

Current position

Assistant Professor, the Southern California Research Center for ALPD & Cirrhosis, Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Publication (since 2008)

1. Li, Y., Wang, J. and Asahina, K. (2013). Mesothelial cells give rise to hepatic stellate cells and myofibroblasts via mesothelial-mesenchymal transition in liver injury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110(6): 2324-2329.
   
2. Yin, C., Evason, K. J., Asahina, K. and Stainier, D. Y. (2013). Hepatic stellate cells in liver development, regeneration, and cancer. J Clin Invest 123(5): 1902-1910.
   
3. Asahina, K. (2012). Hepatic stellate cell progenitor cells. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 27 Suppl 2: 80-84.
   
4. Yang, M. D., Chiang, Y. M., Higashiyama, R., Asahina, K., Mann, D. A., Mann, J., Wang, C. C. and Tsukamoto, H. (2012). Rosmarinic acid and baicalin epigenetically derepress peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma in hepatic stellate cells for their antifibrotic effect. Hepatology 55(4): 1271-1281.
   
5. Zhu, N. L., Asahina, K., Wang, J., Ueno, A., Lazaro, R., Miyaoka, Y., Miyajima, A. and Tsukamoto, H. (2012). Hepatic stellate cell-derived delta-like homolog 1 (DLK1) protein in liver regeneration. J Biol Chem 287(13): 10355-10367.
   
6. Asahina, K., Zhou, B., Pu, W. T. and Tsukamoto, H. (2011). Septum transversum-derived mesothelium gives rise to hepatic stellate cells and perivascular mesenchymal cells in developing mouse liver. Hepatology 53(3): 983-995.
   
7. Asahina, K., Tsai, S. Y., Li, P., Ishii, M., Maxson, R. E., Jr., Sucov, H. M. and Tsukamoto, H. (2009). Mesenchymal origin of hepatic stellate cells, submesothelial cells, and perivascular mesenchymal cells during mouse liver development. Hepatology 49(3): 998-1011.
   
8. Gaucher, G., Asahina, K., Wang, J. and Leroux, J. C. (2009). Effect of poly(N-vinyl-pyrrolidone)-block-poly(D,L-lactide) as coating agent on the opsonization, phagocytosis, and pharmacokinetics of biodegradable nanoparticles. Biomacromolecules 10(2): 408-416.
   
9. Machida, K., Tsukamoto, H., Mkrtchyan, H., Duan, L., Dynnyk, A., Liu, H. M., Asahina, K., Govindarajan, S., Ray, R., Ou, J. H., Seki, E., Deshaies, R., Miyake, K. and Lai, M. M. (2009). Toll-like receptor 4 mediates synergism between alcohol and HCV in hepatic oncogenesis involving stem cell marker Nanog. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106(5): 1548-1553.
   
10. Shikanai, M., Asahina, K., Iseki, S., Teramoto, K., Nishida, T., Shimizu-Saito, K., Ota, M., Eto, K. and Teraoka, H. (2009). A novel method of mouse ex utero transplantation of hepatic progenitor cells into the fetal liver. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 381(2): 276-282.
    
11. Cheng, J. H., She, H., Han, Y. P., Wang, J., Xiong, S., Asahina, K. and Tsukamoto, H. (2008). Wnt antagonism inhibits hepatic stellate cell activation and liver fibrosis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 294(1): G39-49.
    
12. Fujimori, H., Asahina, K., Shimizu-Saito, K., Ikeda, R., Tanaka, Y., Teramoto, K., Morita, I. and Teraoka, H. (2008). Vascular endothelial growth factor promotes proliferation and function of hepatocyte-like cells in embryoid bodies formed from mouse embryonic stem cells. J Hepatol 48(6): 962-973.