Cathepsin K-Notch signal pathway and sarcopenia

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H04801
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: General internal medicine(including psychosomatic medicine)
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: KUZUYA Masafumi 名古屋大学, 未来社会創造機構(医), 教授 (10283441)
• Research Collaborator: OGASAWARA shinyu ; INOUE aiko ; KIMURA kaoru
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 老化 / 骨格筋 / 動物

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The cysteine protease cathepsin K (Cat K) is a proteolytic enzyme, we considered that Cat K may be involved in skeletal muscle regeneration. Muscle injury model was created by injecting cardiotoxin into muscles, and Cat K deficiency mice and inhibitors were used to investigate the role of Cat K. This study revealed that Cat K is highly expressed after muscle injury and enhances inflammation and delays regeneration by inducing inflammation. Furthermore, we also revealed that Cat K is also involved in skeletal muscle disorder in cachexia using mouse cancer-induced cachexia model.

Free Research Field

サルコペニア、老年医学、栄養、動脈硬化

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

カヘキシアは癌や臓器不全を抱える患者の死亡やQOLの低下に強くかかわっており、今後この病態の解明と治療が望まれている。Cat Kが炎症を惹起し、骨格筋に障害を与えることが分かったことより、将来悪性腫瘍や、臓器不全に伴う骨格筋量の減少や筋力低下（サルコペニア）に対する治療のターゲット分子になる可能性がある。