Etiological and Prognostic Studies of Biliary Atresia by Quantitative Analysis of Maternal Chimeric Cells

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K17588
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 55010:General surgery and pediatric surgery-related
• Research Institution: University of Miyazaki
• Principal Investigator: Masuya Ryuta 宮崎大学, 医学部, 助教 (90448572)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 胆道閉鎖症 / 母親由来キメラ細胞 / 移植片対宿主病

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The etiology of biliary atresia (BA) is unknown, but maternal-fetal immune interactions have been proposed as a possible etiology of BA. However, whether maternal chimeric (MC) cells circulate in the peripheral blood and the role of MC cells in the etiology of BA remain unclear. We have classified postoperative patients with BA into good and poor prognosis groups and quantified the DNA of maternal chimeric cells in the peripheral blood using qPCR.
We found that significantly more MC cells were detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the poor prognosis group, and the detection of maternal-derived cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells was significantly associated with poor prognosis.

Free Research Field

小児外科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果から胎児期に胎盤を介して胎児血液中に流入した母親由来細胞が胆道閉鎖症患者の末梢血に残留し、胆道閉鎖症の予後に影響を与えることが明らかになった。
胆道閉鎖症は成人期までに反芻が肝移植に至る予後不良かつ原因不明の難病で、本邦では1万出生に1人の割合で発症する。
胆道閉鎖症の発症及び病状進行における母親由来細胞の役割を今後更に究明していくことによって、発症や病状進行を予防する治療法を開発することができる。