Investigation of multipotency and tissue regeneration ability of stem cells that play roles in complete regeneration after spinal cord injury in newts

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K20747
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0802:Biomedical structure and function and related fields
• Research Institution: Kansai Medical University
• Principal Investigator: SEKI-OMURA Ryohei 関西医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (40746624)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-08-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 有尾両生類 / 神経幹細胞 / 脊髄再生

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, I established a method for isolating and culturing neural stem cells (NSCs), which could play key roles in regeneration after spinal cord injury, from a urodele amphibian Pleurodeles waltl. By taking advantage of this method, I carried out comparison of characteristics of NSCs from P. waltl with those from the mouse. I found that the response upon serum addition into the culture medium differed according to the species. Furthermore, neurospheres that are composed of NCSs from each species were subjected to RNA-seq. Differential expressed gene (DEG) analyses between organs (brain and spinal cord/neural tube) or developmental stages (larva/embryo and adult) in each species showed the difference in the number of DEGs between the two species.

Free Research Field

発生生物学、再生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヒトを含む哺乳類の脊髄損傷後の機能回復は限定的であり、抜本的な治療法が望まれている。本研究では、この治療法開発の土台となる知見を得るための基礎研究として、脊髄の完全再生が可能な有尾両生類の神経幹細胞の培養法を確立することを試み、それを達成した。これにより、有尾両生類がもつ特有の性質を培養系で調査・分析することが可能となった。実際に、マウスの神経幹細胞との比較解析から、有尾両生類の神経幹細胞に特異的に発現する、言わば再生遺伝子の探索へと研究を発展させている。