2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Human risk assessment of environmental toxicants based on apoptotic signaling system.
| Project/Area Number |
10558091
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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 | 展開研究 |
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| Research Field |
環境影響評価(含放射線生物学)
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| Research Institution | National Institute for Environmental Studies |
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Principal Investigator |
ISHIDO Masami National Institute for Environmental Studies, Regional Environment Division, Senior Researcher, 地域環境研究グループ, 主任研究員 (60211728)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1998 – 2000
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| Keywords | environmental toxicants / apoptosis / human risk assessment / cadmium / apoptosis-related oncogenes |
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| Research Abstract |
The objective of this study is to develop a new means for human risk assessment of environmental toxicants based on apoptotic signaling systems. To achieve the aims, it is necessary to detect the apoptotic signals in human serum, which were triggered by the environmental toxicants such as the heavy metals and diesel exhaust particles. It was hard to detect DNA fragmentation in serum as an apoptotic signal by the conventional methods. It therefore had to be overcome the issue of the low amount of the fragment in the serum.
PCR methods made it possible : more than 50 ng DNA fragment was detectable by ligating the 12-mer adaptor to the fragment, followed by PCR amplification. However. this method is still to be improved because of artifacts in the serum.
It is important to reveal the molecular mechanism of environmental toxicants-mediated apoptotic pathways in order to apply it for human risk assessment of therm earlier and with higher sensitivity. There were several molecules that were induced by exposure of cells to cadmium : Bc1-2 was identified as a new defense player and both c-myc and metallothionein were not involved in cadmium-induced apoptotic events. The death molecule' for cadmium cytotoxicity remains to be un clear.
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