2026 Junken Aoki: Biology and Biochemistry Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Biology and Biochemistry	108	1056	938	56	50	489	39523

Research.com Recognitions

2026 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Japan Leader Award
2025 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Japan Leader Award
2023 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Japan Leader Award

Overview

Junken Aoki is affiliated with Tohoku University in Japan and has a research focus primarily in the fields of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology, along with Medicine. Their work spans several subfields including Molecular Biology, Physiology, Cell Biology, Immunology, and Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience.

The scientist's main research topics include:

Sphingolipid Metabolism and Signaling
Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior
Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
Protein Kinase Regulation and GTPase Signaling
Lipid Metabolism and Biosynthesis
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease
Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications

Junken Aoki has published extensively, with notable recent papers including:

"Update on LIPID MAPS classification, nomenclature, and shorthand notation for MS-derived lipid structures," 2020, Journal of Lipid Research
"Structure of SARS-CoV-2 membrane protein essential for virus assembly," 2022, Nature Communications
"Lysophospholipid Mediators in Health and Disease," 2021, Annual Review of Pathology Mechanisms of Disease
"Heterotrimeric G Protein Subunit Gαq Is a Master Switch for Gβγ-Mediated Calcium Mobilization by Gi-Coupled GPCRs," 2020, Molecular Cell
"Lysophosphatidylcholine mediates fast decline in kidney function in diabetic kidney disease," 2021, Kidney International

The scientist frequently collaborates with several co-authors, including Kuniyuki Kano, Asuka Inoue, Nozomu Kono, Makoto Kurano, and Yutaka Yatomi.

Their work is often published in venues such as:

Nature Communications
Scientific Reports
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Journal of Lipid Research
The FASEB Journal

Best Publications

The Transcriptional Landscape of the Mammalian Genome

P. Carninci;T. Kasukawa;S. Katayama;J. Gough

4200
Citations
Autotaxin has lysophospholipase D activity leading to tumor cell growth and motility by lysophosphatidic acid production.

Makiko Umezu-Goto;Yasuhiro Kishi;Akitsu Taira;Kotaro Hama

1061
Citations
Update on LIPID MAPS classification, nomenclature, and shorthand notation for MS-derived lipid structures

Gerhard Liebisch;Eoin Fahy;Junken Aoki;Edward A. Dennis

798
Citations
LPA3-mediated lysophosphatidic acid signalling in embryo implantation and spacing.

Xiaoqin Ye;Kotaro Hama;James J. A. Contos;Brigitte Anliker

694
Citations
Identification of an intracellular receptor for lysophosphatidic acid (LPA): LPA is a transcellular PPARγ agonist

Thomas M. McIntyre;Aaron V. Pontsler;Adriana R. Silva;Andy St. Hilaire

690
Citations
Nectin/PRR: an immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecule recruited to cadherin-based adherens junctions through interaction with Afadin, a PDZ domain-containing protein.

Kenichi Takahashi;Hiroyuki Nakanishi;Masako Miyahara;Kenji Mandai

646
Citations
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a Novel Human G-protein-coupled Receptor, EDG7, for Lysophosphatidic Acid

Koji Bandoh;Junken Aoki;Hiroyuki Hosono;Susumu Kobayashi

644
Citations
Autotaxin Stabilizes Blood Vessels and Is Required for Embryonic Vasculature by Producing Lysophosphatidic Acid

Masayuki Tanaka;Shinichi Okudaira;Yasuhiro Kishi;Ryunosuke Ohkawa

540
Citations
Serum Lysophosphatidic Acid Is Produced through Diverse Phospholipase Pathways

Junken Aoki;Akitsu Taira;Yasukazu Takanezawa;Yasuhiro Kishi

530
Citations
Illuminating G-Protein-Coupling Selectivity of GPCRs.

Asuka Inoue;Asuka Inoue;Francesco Raimondi;Francois Marie Ngako Kadji;Gurdeep Singh

513
Citations
Two pathways for lysophosphatidic acid production.

Junken Aoki;Asuka Inoue;Asuka Inoue;Shinichi Okudaira;Shinichi Okudaira

500
Citations
TGFα shedding assay: an accurate and versatile method for detecting GPCR activation

Asuka Inoue;Jun Ishiguro;Hajime Kitamura;Naoaki Arima

456
Citations
Lack of beta-arrestin signaling in the absence of active G proteins

Manuel Grundmann;Nicole Merten;Davide Malfacini;Asuka Inoue;Asuka Inoue

397
Citations
The experimental power of FR900359 to study Gq-regulated biological processes

Ramona Schrage;Anna Lena Schmitz;Evelyn Gaffal;Suvi Annala

386
Citations
Structure and function of Zucchini endoribonuclease in piRNA biogenesis

Hiroshi Nishimasu;Hirotsugu Ishizu;Hirotsugu Ishizu;Kuniaki Saito;Satoshi Fukuhara

376
Citations
Mechanisms of lysophosphatidic acid production

Junken Aoki

373
Citations
Distinct conformations of GPCR–β-arrestin complexes mediate desensitization, signaling, and endocytosis

Thomas J. Cahill;Alex R.B. Thomsen;Jeffrey T. Tarrasch;Bianca Plouffe

359
Citations
The sphingosine-1-phosphate transporter Spns2 expressed on endothelial cells regulates lymphocyte trafficking in mice

Shigetomo Fukuhara;Szandor Simmons;Shunsuke Kawamura;Asuka Inoue

342
Citations
Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptors of the EDG family are differentially activated by LPA species. Structure-activity relationship of cloned LPA receptors.

Koji Bandoh;Junken Aoki;Akitsu Taira;Masafumi Tsujimoto

340
Citations
Autotaxin has lysophospholipase D activity leading to tumor cell growth and motility by lysophosphatidic acid production

Junken Aoki;Yasuhiro Kishi

1
Citations