Role of nutrient signals in stem cell regulation in tumors

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24240119
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Tumor biology
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: HIRAO Atsushi 金沢大学, がん進展制御研究所, 教授 (90343350)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 白血病 / mTOR

Outline of Final Research Achievements

mTOR is an evolutionarily conserved kinase that plays a critical role in sensing and responding to nutrients. In this study, we investigated roles of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis. In an acute myeloid leukemia model, deficiency of Raptor, an essential component of mTORC1, significantly suppressed leukemia progression by causing apoptosis of differentiated cells, but did not affect self-renewal of leukemia stem cells. In contrast, we found that mTORC1 plays a critical role in the development of both early T-cell progenitors and leukemia. Thus, understanding the cell-context-dependent role of mTORC1 illustrates the potential importance of mTOR signals as therapeutic targets.

Free Research Field

幹細胞生物学