Investigation of the mechanism of androgen-induced urethral tube formation

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K10647
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Urology
• Research Institution: Wakayama Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Suzuki Kentaro 和歌山県立医科大学, 先端医学研究所, 講師 (20404345)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: アンドロゲン / 尿道下裂 / MafB

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Urethral tube formation of external genitalia is androgen dependent. Defects of androgen signaling cause congenital anomalies such as hypospadias. However, it is not understood the pathological mechanisms of hypospadias and even the developmental mechanism of androgen dependent urethral tube formation.
We identified MafB (V-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog B) as a new androgen target gene during urethral tube formation. Cell proliferation and cell death was not dramatically changed in MafB KO mice. Intriguingly, we identified several candidate genes under the MafB by RNA-seq and ChIP-seq analyses. Further functional analyses on such downstream genes may lead to understand the developmental mechanism of urethral tube formation as well as the pathological mechanism of hypospadias.

Free Research Field

発生医学