| Budget Amount *help |
¥5,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Elevated levels of homocysteine in plasma are considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases; however, how homocysteine works are still largely unclear. We aim to reveal its molecular mechanisms through investigating genetically engineered mice lacking CBS and CTH, two trans-sulfuration enzymes essential for cysteine biosynthesis from homocysteine as well as for endogenous production of bioactive (cell-protective) hydrogen sulfide production. In this project, we obtained experimental evidence as a novel mechanism of homocysteine actions that homocysteine directly captures a hydrogen sulfide anion (by forming homocysteine persulfide), thereby counteracting their biological effects. Our results suggest that the regulation of hydrogen sulfide signaling may contribute to the amelioration of homocysteine-related cardiovascular diseases.
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