Role of gastric epithelial stem cell in gastritis-associated tumorigenesis

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24590916
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Gastroenterology
• Research Institution: Tenri Health Care University (2014); Kyoto University (2012-2013)
• Principal Investigator: UEO taro 天理医療大学, 医療学部, 研究員 (30569611)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 胃炎 / 幹細胞 / 胃癌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Gastric cancer (GC) has been one of the deadliest of all cancers in Japan. Even after the emergence of new targeted agents , the prognosis of patients with advanced GC has not improved. Helicobacter pylori infection induced histological change of stomach and DNA mutation into gastric epithelial stem cell (GESC), therefore is the main risk factor for GC. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to be responsible for tumor initiation, progression and metastasis, leading to focus on understanding the role of Gastric CSCs. By the lineage tracing method, we clarified the influence of Helicobacter infection on GESC in mice and investigated the involvement of GESC on inflammation –induced tumor in transgenic mice. Similar to the normal gastric homeostasis, Lgr5-posotive stem cell are important player both in Helicobacter-induced histological change and inflammation-induced tumorigenesis, which show the possibility that the therapeutic intervention on stem cells is new option for the GC.

Free Research Field

消化器病学