Establishment of model animals for analyzing collagen in three-dimensional construction, tissue maintenance and fibrosis

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K05994
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 42040:Laboratory animal science-related
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: Miwa Yoshihiro 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, バイオリソース研究センター, 室長 (70263845)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: コラーゲン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Analysis of first generation HaloTag mice expressing only probed type V collagen demonstrated that our technique was able to maintain full function of collagen fibers and set up the appropriate conditions for imaging. Next, in collaboration with our organic synthesis collaborators, we synthesized several candidate compounds for new near-infrared dyes as HaloTag ligands, which we investigated in detail, and this opened up great possibilities for continuous in vivo imaging in living mice. We have also cloned and probed the cDNAs of FACITs, which regulate fibrils, to construct a second-generation mouse model.

Free Research Field

実験動物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで存在しなかったコラーゲンフィブリルを動的に可視化する技術の開発に成功したため、発生過程における３次元構築におけるコラーゲンの役割を明らかにする研究が可能になったほか、現在治療法のない全身のさまざまな組織の線維症を生きたマウスモデルで解析することが可能となり、今後、新たな治療法の開発や創薬に道が開かれた。また動物愛護の3Rを実現しつつ、基礎研究から、創薬、化粧品、などさまざまな産業分野にまでの波及効果が広がると期待される。