2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Development of artificial epithelial cell induction technology as a cell resource for organ regeneration

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	20K20612
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Pioneering)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Review Section	Medium-sized Section 57:Oral science and related fields
Research Institution	Kyushu University
Principal Investigator	Fukumoto Satoshi 九州大学, 歯学研究院, 教授 (30264253)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	吉崎恵悟九州大学, 歯学研究院, 助教 (10507982) 犬塚博之東北大学, 歯学研究科, 准教授 (20335863) 自見英治郎九州大学, 歯学研究院, 教授 (40276598) 阪井丘芳大阪大学, 大学院歯学研究科, 教授 (90379082) 山田亜矢東北大学, 歯学研究科, 准教授 (40295085)
Project Period (FY)	2020-07-30 – 2024-03-31
Keywords	エナメル芽細胞 / 歯原性上皮 / 再生医療
Outline of Final Research Achievements	In order to regenerate organs such as teeth, salivary glands, lungs, and kidneys, we need a system to artificially induce the epithelial (endothelial) cells that make up these organs. In this study, we clarified the characteristics of the tooth germ epithelium and attempted to develop a technology to induce the desired epithelial cells by controlling the expression of its characteristic genes. As a result, we succeeded in identifying genes characteristic of the four types of cells that make up the tooth germ (inner enamel epithelium, middle layer cells, stellate reticular cells, and outer enamel epithelium), which are used to determine tooth shape and eruption. We found the molecules involved. Regarding the inner enamel epithelium, which is involved in the formation of enamel, we identified molecules involved in each differentiation stage, and by controlling their expression, we were able to transform tooth-derived cells into hair cells and skin epithelial cells.
Free Research Field	小児歯科
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	歯の再生技術の開発は、同様の発生過程を示す肺や腎臓などの他の臓器形成にも役立つ。この技術を開発する中で、特に歯においては上皮細胞は歯が生えると完全に失われてしまうこと、またその細胞を得るためには胎児組織を利用しなければならず、このような倫理的問題を回避しながら上皮細胞を如何にして得ることができるかは大きな課題であった。そのために歯の上皮細胞の特徴を明らかにし、その分化過程を理解し細胞の運命転換を行うことは、再生医療技術の進展に大きく役立つ。また歯をモデルとして、その発生原理をより詳細に理解し、全身の全てに器官再生に応用可能な本研究は極めて社会的意義も大きい。