| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,730,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥630,000)
Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Craniofacial development is regulated by several growth factors and cytokines, which regulate their down-stream transcription factors. Malfunction of these factors cause abnormal craniofacial disorders. A novel transcription factor Zfhx4 is putatively proposed to be responsible for the 8q21.11 Microdeletion Syndrome, characterized by a round face with full cheeks, ptosis, an underdeveloped alae, a short philtrum, micrognathia, low-set ears. To examine the role of Zfhx4 in craniofacial development, we first generated the Zfhx4-/- mice. Zfhx4-/- mice died of respiratory failure within a day after birth. Zfhx4-/- mice exhibited domed and short skull, micrognathia, malformation of coronoid process and cleft palate. Histological analyses indicated that tongue and tooth germ were normally formed in the E16.5 Zfhx4-/- mice. In situ hybridization analysis confirmed that Zfhc4 was expressed in Palatal shelf in vivo. Collectively, Zfhx4 plays a critical role in craniofacial development.
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