Molecular etiology of congenital anomalies caused by diabetes as an environmental factor

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25670491
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Embryonic/Neonatal medicine
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Meno Chikara 九州大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (20311764)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 糖尿病 / 先天性心疾患 / 内臓錯位 / 左右軸

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Epidemiology has revealed that the risk of congenital anomalies is increased in offspring born from mothers with pregestational diabetes. The etiology of such congenital anomalies remains largely unknown, however. In this research, we examined the effect of hyperglycemia on left-right axis formation in mouse embryos, since pregestational diabetes increases the risk of heterotaxia in human. By analyzing streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and embryos cultured in high glucose medium, we found that high glucose concentration inhibits the establishment of Nodal-Pitx2 expression in left lateral plate mesoderm. Right isomerism in human pregestational diabetes may be explained by this mechanism.

Free Research Field

発生生物学