Development of novel breast cancer model for understanding individual susceptibility to low dose radiation

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26550036
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Risk sciences of radiation and chemicals
• Research Institution: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Imaoka Tatsuhiko 国立研究開発法人量子科学技術研究開発機構, 放射線医学総合研究所 放射線影響研究部, チームリーダー(定常) (40356134)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): ARAI Masami 公益財団法人がん研究会有明病院, 遺伝子診療部, 部長 (20232027) ; DAINO Kazuhiro 国立研究開発法人量子科学技術研究開発機構, 放射線医学総合研究所 放射線影響研究部, 主任研究員(定常) (90543299) ; MORIOKA Takamitsu 国立研究開発法人量子科学技術研究開発機構, 放射線医学総合研究所 放射線影響研究部, 主幹研究員(定常) (70253961)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 放射線発がん / 低線量 / 遺伝子改変ラット

Outline of Final Research Achievements

There is a controversy about the high risk of breast cancer associating with low dose radiation exposure in female carriers of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome. The Sprague-Dawley rat is a strain which has been widely used as an animal model of radiation-induced breast carcinogenesis. The present project aims to develop a rat model of the syndrome, with which to clarify this controversy from a biological viewpoint. The project used a genome editing technique and has successfully established a strain harboring a deleterious mutation equivalent to one which is frequently found in human population. When the rats were irradiated with gamma rays and observed for palpable mammary carcinoma, there was a dose-dependent increase in its incidence. At the moment of the project termination, the incidence of mammary cancer was similar between the mutant and wild-type animals, suggesting that the animals should be followed up further.

Free Research Field

放射線生物学