2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

The Role of B-cell Activating Factor Family on Post-transplant Chronic Rejection

Research Project

PDF

Project/Area Number	16K10444
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	General surgery
Research Institution	Toho University (2019) Fujita Health University (2016-2018)
Principal Investigator	TSUJI Shoichiro 東邦大学, 医学部, 非常勤研究生 (70726736)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	杉岡篤藤田医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (20171150) 上本伸二京都大学, 医学研究科, 教授 (40252449) 吉澤淳名古屋大学, 医学部付属病院, 病院講師 (60457984)
Project Period (FY)	2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
Keywords	肝移植 / 拒絶反応 / 免疫寛容
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Mammals have their specific Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules on the surface of their cells. The immune system recognizes the MHC molecules and judges if the cell it encounters is self or non-self. Upon organ transplantation, the immune system rejects the transplanted organ as non-self cells, checking the MHC molecules. However, mouse liver transplantation doesn't cause rejection to be in the status of "Immunotolerance", even if the MHC molecules are different between the mice. Therefore, mouse liver transplantation is an optimal model to study immunotolerance. But due to its size, mouse transplantation has been very difficult in the point of technique. In this study, we established the method of mouse transplantation. We also studied the role of B-cell Activating Factor (BAFF) family molecules, which are highly related to the immune system, on the immunotolerance induction.
Free Research Field	免疫寛容
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	先天性胆道閉鎖症やC型肝炎などによる肝不全は致死的な病気であり、肝移植以外に治療法はない。しかし肝移植後の慢性拒絶反応による機能不全は3-4％に生じ、効果的な治療法がないため、約85％は移植後1年以内に再移植を必要とし、再移植ができなければ生存は不可能である。移植医療を安全に行うためには、移植後の免疫寛容成立の機構の解明が必要である。本研究では免疫寛容の最適なモデルであるマウスの肝移植の技術を確立すると共にBAFFファミリー分子の役割を調べ、免疫寛容機構の解明に大きく貢献するという学術的意義を有する。また同時に将来のより安全な移植医療を可能にするという大きな社会的意義をも有する。