1999 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Function of Meltrins in Bone Formation
| Project/Area Number |
09480202
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Cell biology
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| Research Institution | The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science (1998-1999)
National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (1997) |
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Principal Investigator |
FUJISAWA-SEHARA Atsuko Department of Cell Biology, The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Researcher, 東京都臨床医学総合研究所, 研究員 (60209038)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KURISAKI Tomohiro Department of Cell Biology, The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Researcher, 東京都臨床医学総合研究所, 研究員 (90311422)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1997 – 1999
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| Keywords | Protease / Disintegrin / Differentiation / Morphogenesis / Myogenesis / Bone Formation / Gene knockout / Transgenic Mice |
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| Research Abstract |
The metalloprotease-disintegrin / ADAM family including meltrins is comprised of multi-domain proteins containing both a disintegrin and a metalloprotease domains with diverse functions.
Meltrin α plays a role in myogenesis in vitro. Meltrin α is expressed in various embryonic mesenchymal cells including myoblasts and osteoblasts. It was also found to be expressed transiently during muscle regeneration. In an attempt to understand function of meltrin α in bone formation or regeneration of muscle and bone, we have made knockout mice of the meltrin α gene. Approximately half of the KO mice are embryonic lethal in various backgrounds. The meltrin β gene was also isolated, and production of meltrin β gene was also isolated, and production of meltrin β-KO mice is underway. Meltrin β was found to be involved in the conversion of a growth factor from a membrane-bound to a soluble form.
Further characterization of these KO mice will reveal functional significance of meltrins in the cleavage of membrane-bound growth factors.
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