2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Regulation of sexually dimorphic functions of adrenal cortex by sex chromosomes
| Project/Area Number |
20H03436
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Section | 一般 |
|---|
| Review Section |
Basic Section 48040:Medical biochemistry-related
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Kyushu University |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
|
| Keywords | 性差 / 副腎皮質 / 糖質コルチコイド |
|---|
| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Comparing gene expressions of adrenal cortices between male and female reveals that gene expressions in female are totally higher than those of male by 1.8-fold in average. Genes whose expression is highly female-biased (higher than the average) were examined. Consequently, these genes were found to be functionally related to energy metabolism and glucocorticoid synthesis. Indeed, cellular activities corresponding to those processes were higher in female. Target genes of Ad4BP, an essential transcription factor for adrenocortical differentiation, were searched. As the consequence, nearly half of the genes expressed were found to be potential targets of Ad4BP. Finally, we examined the effects of the sexually dimorphic adrenal cortex on the size of skeletal muscles and showed that sexually different amount of glucocorticoid gives a certain effect on sexually differential size of the skeletal muscles.
|
| Free Research Field |
性差生物学
|
| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
一般に性差は性ホルモンよって作り出されると考えられてきた。したがって男性ホルモンとその受容体の直接的な影響が調べられてきた。本研究では副腎皮質細胞のRNA量、そして遺伝子発現が雌雄で異なることを示した。このような全遺伝子の発現の差が性差の基盤となっていることを示した初めての例であり、性差を問うにあたって着目すべき新たな視点を提供した。また、副腎皮質で合成される糖質コルチコイドによる誘導は骨格筋に限ったことではなく全身に影響が及ぶと推測される。したがって、糖質コルチコイド活性を有する薬剤を使用する場合には、種々の細胞の性差の変化という観点に注意すべきであると考えられる。
|
