Specific immunomodulatory factors of the probiotics in C. elegans

Research Project

Project/Area Number	16K16282
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Eating habits
Research Institution	Nara Women's University
Principal Investigator	Komura Tomomi 奈良女子大学, 生活環境科学系, 助教 (10736515)
Project Period (FY)	2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,030,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥930,000) Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000) Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000) Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Keywords	線虫 / 老化 / ビフィズス菌 / 長寿 / C. elegans / 機能性食品 / プロバイオティクス
Outline of Final Research Achievements	More than 70% of human genes have an ortholog in Caenorhabditis elegans genome. This organism has been used as an experimental system to study aging because of its short lifespan and the discoveries of genes associated with the senescence. We previously showed that probiotics could prolong the lifespan of metazoan using the nematodes (Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2007；73：6404-9 and Biogerontology 2013;14:73-87). This study is to reveal the immunogenics, which is immunomodulatory factors of the probiotics, by a molecular biological approach using the nematodes. I had successfully established a method for random mutants in bifidobacteria. I could find some host defense genes in C. elegans by bifidobacteria. The reporter assay would be used to screen probiotic bacteria as immunoenhancer in the near future.
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	宿主に有益な保健効果をももたらすビフィズス菌の新たな機能性を見つけるため、ビフィズス菌の変異株作製に成功させた。またモデル生物の一種C. elegansを用いてビフィズス菌摂取で変動する生体防御関連の遺伝子を見つけた。今後、これらのツールを利用してさらに研究を進めることで、有効なビフィズス菌体成分の同定を目指したい。