Creation of mature cultured muscle fibers that acquire its original function

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K19751
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 59:Sports sciences, physical education, health sciences, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Principal Investigator: Furuichi Yasuro 東京都立大学, 人間健康科学研究科, 助教 (40733035)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 骨格筋 / 培養細胞 / 幹細胞 / 細胞分化 / 細胞増殖 / 遺伝子発現解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cultured skeletal muscle cells (myotubes) used all over the world are unmatured compared to in vivo skeletal muscle cells (myofibers), and do not have the original properties of skeletal muscle. In this study, we developed a method to promote the differentiation of myotubes and challenged to create a mature cultured myofiber.
First, we found the factors to enhance the proliferation of myoblasts and the underlying mechanisms and succeeded to acquire a large number of cultured cells. Furthermore, we unified the elongation direction of muscle cells by applying the extracellular matrix linearly with an inkjet printing device. In addition, we performed the screening for the factors that promote differentiation by comprehensive gene expression analysis of muscle tissue and myotube. As described above, we found the conditions for increasing the maturity of muscle cells and established a method for culturing evolved muscle cells.

Free Research Field

運動生化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

骨格筋の未知なる働きを解明するためには培養細胞を用いた実験が必須であるが、世界中で使われている「筋管細胞」は、生体の「筋線維」に比べると極めて幼弱で骨格筋本来の性質を獲得しきれていない。そのため、筋管細胞を用いた実験には限界があり、それが骨格筋研究の発展を阻んできた。筋管細胞の成熟度を促進させ、既存の筋管細胞よりも成熟した培養「筋線維」を創ることができれば、骨格筋細胞の生物学的意義を解明する研究が加速し、医療や健康科学の発展に貢献される。