| Project/Area Number |
08044281
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for international Scientific Research
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | Joint Research |
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| Research Institution | Osaka University Medical School |
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Principal Investigator |
TSUJIMOTO Yoshihide Osaka University Medical School, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (70132735)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
LAZEBNIK Yuri Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, Senior lnvestigator, 研究員
SHIMIZU Shigeomi Osaka University Medical School, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 助手 (70271020)
KAMADA Shinji Osaka University Medical School, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 助手 (20243214)
EGUCHI Yutaka Osaka University Medical School, Assocate Professor, 医学部, 助教授 (20243206)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1996
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 1996)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,500,000)
Fiscal Year 1996: ¥2,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,500,000)
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| Keywords | apoptosis / mitochondria / ICE / bcl-2 / Bc1-2 |
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| Research Abstract |
Apoptosis is an important suicide program involved in a variety of biological phenomena including morphogenesis and maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Apoptosis is an important theme not only in biology but also in medical field because dysregulation of apoptosis leads to various diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. However, the molecular basis of apoptosis is still largely unknown. We have been studying ICE family proteases with apoptosis-driving activity and bcl-2 family with anti-apoptotic activity. For detailed study of the function of known genes involved in apoptosis and also for identification of new apoptosis-related genes, in vitro apoptosis system would be extremely useful. Although one system originally developed by Y.Lazebnik has been widely used, we have developed a new system which resembles much better in vivo apoptosis than Lazebnik's system.
Recently we have shown that mitochondrial dysfunction through membrane potential loss which is inhibited by Bcl-2, plays an important role in apoptosis. To analyze the biochemical basis of Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic function, we have established a system with isolated mitochondria in which Bcl-2 functions to prevent membrane potential loss.
These systems would be very useful for study of molecular basis of apoptosis, and likely provide new insights into control of diseases developing though deregulation of apoptosis.
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