| Budget Amount *help |
¥18,460,000 (Direct Cost: ¥14,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥4,260,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥5,460,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,260,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥5,330,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,230,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥4,030,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥930,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Shiga toxin (Stx) is a major virulence factor of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), which causes bloody diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and sometimes life-threatening systemic complications, such as acute encephalopathy and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Stx can be classified into two major subgroups, Stx1a and Stx2a. Although Stx2a is highly virulent and linked with serious human disorders when compared to Stx1a, the precise molecular mechanism by which Stx2a exerts its virulence in vivo has not been elucidated at all. In this study, we found that Stx2a, but not Stx1a, released from the target cells as its active form after being processed in the cells. Interestingly, a part of this activated Stx2a constituted an exosome-like structure. This exosome-like structure was found to cause severe renal failure, such as markedly increased urine volume, suggesting a possibility of the pathological importance of this Stx2a-specific structure in the cause of systemic complications.
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