New Therapy for Retinoblastoma by Targeting Retinal Progenitor Cells

• Project/Area Number: 22659311
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Ophthalmology
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: UEMURA Akiyoshi 神戸大学, 大学院・医学研究科, 特命助教 (30373278)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): AZUMA Noriyuki 国立成育医療センター, 眼科, 医長 (10159395)
• Research Collaborator: FUNA Keiko スウェーデン Gothenburg大学
• Project Period (FY): 2010 – 2012
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2012)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,440,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000); Fiscal Year 2011: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2010: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
• Keywords: 網膜芽細胞腫 / 網膜前駆細胞 / ミュラーグリア細胞 / Tlx / VEGFR2 / VEGF受容体 / MASH1

Research Abstract

Retinoblastoma is caused by deregulated proliferation of retinal progenitor cells, which normally differentiate into all types of retinal neurons and Muller glia. Therefore, it is expected that molecular mechanisms which regulate differentiation and proliferation of retinal progenitor cells can be novel targets to treat retinoblastoma. In this research program, we demonstrated that the nuclear receptor Tlx and the receptor tyrosine kinase VEGFR2 are co-expressed in retinal progenitor cells, and disruptions of these genes similarly resulted in abnormal development and impaired homeostasis of mouse retinal tissues.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] TLX activates MASH1 for induction of neuronal lineage commitment of adult hippocampal neuroprogenitors (2010)
  • Author(s): Elmi M,Matsumoto Y, Zeng ZJ, Lakshminarasimhan P, Yang W,Uemura A, Nishikawa S,Moshiri A,Tajima N,Agren H Funa K
  • Journal Title: Mol Cell Neurosci Volume: 45 Pages: 121-131
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] TLX activates MASH1 for induction of neuronal lineage commitment of adult hippocampal neuroprogenitors. (2010)
  • Author(s): Elmi M, Matsumoto Y, Zeng ZJ, Lakshminarasimhan P, Yang W, Uemura A, Nishikawa S, Moshiri A, Tajima N, Agren H, Funa K.
  • Journal Title: Mol Cell Neurosci. Volume: 45 Pages: 121-131
  • Peer Reviewed