Depression treatment strategy targeting vesicle trafficking

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K08962
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied pharmacology
• Research Institution: Teikyo University
• Principal Investigator: Watabe Masahiko 帝京大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 准教授 (90301788)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: タンパク質相互作用

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The lifetime prevalence of depression in Japan is said to be about 6.7%, which means that 1 in 15 people experience depression. The existing antidepressants are easy to treat because they are taken orally, but they take time to become effective, so it is necessary to continue taking them until a doctor instructs them, and it takes a very long time to find the right drug for the patient. Through research from an approach that targets the vesicular transport pathway, which is completely different from that of conventional antidepressants, I found that Rab protein, which is the key to regulating the vesicle transport pathway, interacts with the antioxidant glutathione content regulator GTRAP3-18, which in vivo that can improve depressive symptoms.

Free Research Field

分子細胞薬理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

既存の抗うつ薬の作用点である神経伝達物質の再取り込みを担うタンパク質を標的とするのではなく小胞輸送経路を標的とすることで、既存薬では改善されない患者に対しての使用や既存薬との併用による改善・副作用の軽減などが期待できる。すなわち、本研究での活性調節経路の存在および病態における役割を解明することは、単に学術的新規性が高いばかりでなく、これらを標的として開発される化合物がうつ病の治療に寄与し得ることを提示でき、工業的にも非常に高いポテンシャルを有する。