| Project/Area Number |
10680621
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Functional biochemistry
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| Research Institution | Keio University |
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Principal Investigator |
MUKAI Kuniaki Keio University, School of Medicine, Research Associate, 医学部, 助手 (80229913)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
MITANI Fumiko Keio University, School of Medicine, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 専任講師 (60041852)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1998 – 1999
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 1999)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000)
Fiscal Year 1999: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥2,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,500,000)
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| Keywords | adrenal cortex / steroid hormone / cell differentiation / organogenesis / stem cell / 組織形成 |
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| Research Abstract |
The adrenal cortex in mammals contains three concentric zones, the zona glomerulosa (zG), zona fasciculata (zF), and zona reticularis (zR). We have previously reported that a functionally undifferentiated cell zone is present between zG and zF in rats. Most of replicating cells in the cortex were observable in the cell zone as well as in the adjacent regions both outside and inside the zone, suggesting that the cell zone contains stem cells which produce cells capable to differentiate into the zG or zF/zR cells. To develop in vitro model systems for analyzing the differentiation processes, we attempted to obtain adrenocortical cell lines at undifferentiated stages similar to that of the cells found between zG and zF. Cell lines with such properties were established from a primary culture of the adrenal cells from transgenic mice harboring a temperature sensitive mutant of SV40 large T antigen gene. Then, we tried to clone cDNAs encoding proteins which were expressed in the undifferentiated cells by using differential hybridization screening. Several cDNA clones were isolated. One of cDNAs clones was found to presumably encode a new extracellular matrix protein. Another cDNA encoded a new protein whose amino acid sequence did not have any known homologous sequence. Their mRNAs were detected, respectively, in the region from ZG to the undifferentiated cell zone and that from the undifferentiated cell zone to ZF. The sites of their expression correspond to the regions where cell proliferation and differentiation of the adrenocortical cells take place most actively, These results suggest that the proteins have a role in growth and differentiation of adrenocortical cells.
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