Development of the blood vessel regeneration system utilizing Zic family proteins

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K15019
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: General anatomy (including histology/embryology)
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: ARUGA Jun 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 教授 (10232076)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NAKAGAWA Shinsuke 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 講師 (10404211) ; TATSUMI Rie 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 助教 (40584727) ; HATAYAMA Minoru 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 助教 (50443007)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 神経血管ユニット / 遺伝子発現制御 / 転写因子 / 虚血性脳疾患 / 動脈硬化 / 遺伝子ターゲッティング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We and others recently reported that Zic family zinc finger transcription factors are expressed in brain vessel-constituting cells and regulate the gene expression of ApoE, an atherosclerosis protective protein. We therefore planned to clarify the role of Zic genes in neurovascular units and the expression change of the Zic family proteins among normal, atherosclerotic, and ischemic brain vessels. The results indicated that the Zic family proteins produced in the vascular pericytes, vascular endothelial cells and blood vessel progenitor cells in a cell-type specific manner. We also found that some Zic proteins have critical role of in the development of brain vessels. These findings paved a way to develop a regulatory system utilizing the biological activities of Zic family proteins.

Free Research Field

神経生物学、薬理学