| Project/Area Number |
14370214
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Neurology
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| Research Institution | National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry |
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Principal Investigator |
YAMAMURA Takashi National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), National Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Immunology, Director, 神経研究所・疾病研究第六部, 部長 (90231670)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
MIYAKE Sachiko National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), National Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Immunology, Section Chief, 神経研究所・免疫研究部, 室長 (50266045)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2003
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2003)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥14,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥14,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥6,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥8,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥8,000,000)
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| Keywords | multiple sclerosis / neuroimmunology / NKT cell / OCH / alpha-galactosylceramide / cytokine / immunomodulatoration / Th1 / Th2 / 糖脂質 / IL-4 / 脱髄 / 自己免疫 |
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| Research Abstract |
This group of investigators has already clarified that a glycolipid compound referred to as OCH, that is stimulatory for NKT cells, could inhibit the development of the animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) by inducing Th2 bias of autoimmune T cells. The purpose of the study was to evaluate if OCH treatment could be also effective for modulating Th1/Th2 balance in human MS. To do so, we have generated a number of NKT cell clones from peripheral blood the patients with MS and healthy individuals. The clones were classified into CD4-positive (CD4+) and CD4-negative (CD4-). CD4-clones responded strongly to alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GC), a prototype ligand for NKT cells, but did not so in response to OCH. By contrast, CD4+ clones responded to both OCH and alpha-GC. Interestingly, OCH stimulation was relatively more effective than alpha-GC stimulation in inducing Th2 cytokines. These results support that OCH may be applicable for treatment of MS in the future.
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