Publications by authors named "Toshimi Michigami"

Article Synopsis
  • * The research included data from 147 patients (77 children and 70 adults) who were mostly treated with phosphate and active vitamin D, revealing significant challenges related to height, pain severity, and quality of life (QOL) in both age groups.
  • * Findings showed that while children reported low pain levels, adults experienced mild-to-moderate pain, with both groups experiencing low QOL, which highlights the ongoing need for better understanding and management strategies for XL
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - CUBN encodes a protein called cubilin, which helps reabsorb albumin in the kidneys, and its mutations are linked to a type of kidney disease known as CUBN-related proteinuria.
  • - A case study of triplets shows that they experienced chronic proteinuria for 20 years due to CUBN gene variants, despite initial tests not identifying the underlying cause.
  • - The identification of these CUBN mutations allows for a better understanding of their condition, potentially preventing unnecessary treatments and anxiety about kidney function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is a genetic disease that results in excessive FGF23, chronic hypophosphatemia, and musculoskeletal abnormalities, with affected patients experiencing symptoms such as bone pain, bone deformity, fracture, and pseudofracture. Burosumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds to FGF23, improving lowered serum 1,25(OH)D and phosphate levels in patients with XLH. There are insufficient data on the use of burosumab, its safety, and the outcomes of treated patients in a real-world setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Scientists couldn't find special growth genes for men, but they studied why men are usually taller than women.
  • They discovered that a growth gene called SHOX was more active in boys than in girls, especially in their cartilage.
  • This study suggests that the differences in height between boys and girls might be linked to how this SHOX gene is controlled differently by their DNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Achondroplasia (ACH) is a representative skeletal disorder characterized by rhizomelic shortened limbs and short stature. ACH is classified as belonging to the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) group. The downstream signal transduction of FGFR3 consists of STAT1 and RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathways.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Achondroplasia (ACH) is a genetic condition leading to short stature and distinctive physical features, with a high complication rate observed in young patients.
  • A study reviewing medical records of Japanese children with ACH under 5 years highlighted that 89.2% had complications, and a majority required surgical interventions.
  • Growth hormone treatment initiated at age 3 resulted in significant height increases compared to untreated patients, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis and monitoring for effective management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is caused by inactivating variants of the phosphate regulating endopeptidase homolog X-linked (PHEX) gene. Although the overproduction of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is responsible for hypophosphatemia and impaired vitamin D metabolism, the pathogenesis of XLH remains unclear. We herein generated PHEX-knockout (KO) human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells by applying CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene ablation to an iPS clone derived from a healthy male, and analyzed PHEX-KO iPS cells with deletions extending from exons 1 to 3 and frameshifts by inducing them to differentiate into the osteoblast lineage.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a genetic disorder that affects bone health, with adult-onset HPP being a milder form that appears after age 18, causing issues like osteomalacia.
  • A case study of a 64-year-old woman with pseudofractures and low alkaline phosphatase levels led to a diagnosis of HPP, confirmed by a specific genetic variant.
  • Treatment with asfotase alfa (AA) resulted in significant improvements in her bone healing and mobility over six months, suggesting that AA is effective for severe HPP cases, while also identifying a new variant in the gene responsible for the disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is caused by inactivating variants of the gene, which encodes tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP). Among the six subtypes of HPP, childhood HPP presents after 6 months and before 18 yr of age, and is inherited in both autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive manners. Patients with childhood HPP have variable symptoms, including rickets-like bone changes, low bone mineral density (BMD), short stature, muscle weakness, craniosynostosis, and premature loss of deciduous teeth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Osteocytes are dendritic-shaped cells embedded in the bone matrix and are terminally differentiated from osteoblasts. Inaccessibility due to their location has hindered the understanding of the molecular functions of osteocytes. However, scientific advances in the past few decades have revealed that osteocytes play critical roles in bone and mineral metabolism through their paracrine and endocrine functions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH) causes weak bones due to low phosphate levels, primarily influenced by high fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) and FGFR3 signaling.
  • A study tested meclozine, a drug known to reduce FGFR3 signaling, on Hyp mice to see if it could positively impact their bone health.
  • Results showed that meclozine treatment improved bone growth by reducing a thick growth plate and enhancing osteoclast activity, though its effects on overall bone mineralization and phosphate levels were limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Since phosphorus is a component of hydroxyapatite, its prolonged deprivation affects bone mineralization. Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is essential for maintaining phosphate homeostasis and is mainly produced by osteocytes. FGF23 increases the excretion of inorganic phosphate (Pi) and decreases the production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in the kidneys.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Roles of osteocytes in phosphate metabolism.

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)

August 2022

Osteocytes are dendritic cells in the mineralized bone matrix that descend from osteoblasts. They play critical roles in controlling bone mass through the production of sclerostin, an inhibitor of bone formation, and receptor activator of nuclear factor κ B ligand, an inducer of osteoblastic bone resorption. Osteocytes also govern phosphate homeostasis through the production of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), which lowers serum phosphate levels by increasing renal phosphate excretion and reducing the synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)D), an active metabolite of vitamin D.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The circadian clock network is an evolutionarily conserved system that regulates systemic metabolism, such as glucose homeostasis. Intestinal tissue is a pivotal organ for the regulation of glucose metabolism, mainly via glucose absorption into the circulation; however, the significance of the intestinal circadian clock network for glucose metabolism remains largely unclear. We herein utilized a mouse model in which Bmal1, a core clock gene, was deleted in an intestine-specific manner (Bmal1Int-/- mice) and demonstrated a rhythmic expression of Sglt1 with its peak at zeitgeber time (ZT) 10.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) in the mammalian body is balanced by its influx and efflux through the intestines, kidneys, bones, and soft tissues, at which several sodium/Pi co-transporters mediate its active transport. Pi homeostasis is achieved through the complex counter-regulatory feedback balance between fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)D), and parathyroid hormone. FGF23, which is mainly produced by osteocytes in bone, plays a central role in Pi homeostasis and exerts its effects by binding to the FGF receptor (FGFR) and αKlotho in distant target organs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) levels increase as kidney function decreases and are associated with increased mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Inflammation has also been shown to increase FGF23 production in adults; however, this has not been validated in pediatric patients with CKD. Furthermore, previous studies on children involved a single measurement of FGF23 without a follow-up, and a few studies have examined changes in FGF23 levels.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Serum inorganic phosphate (Pi) levels are higher in children than in adults; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, we herein attempted to elucidate the mechanisms altering Pi metabolism from youth to adulthood using 4-week-old (young) and 12-week-old (adult) mice. Despite higher serum Pi levels, serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) levels were lower in young mice, and the amount of FGF23 in bone tended to increase from youth to adulthood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient that plays a crucial role in various biological processes, including cell membrane integrity, synthesis of nucleic acids, energy metabolism, intracellular signaling, and hard tissue mineralization. Therefore, the control of phosphorus balance is critical in all living organisms, and the fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)-αKlotho system is central to maintain phosphate homeostasis in mammals. Although phosphate is indispensable for basic cellular functions, its excessive retention is toxic and can affect almost all organ systems' functionality.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A preschool child with refractory peritoneal dialysis-related exit-site infection (ESI)/peritonitis caused by Mycobacterium abscessus (M. abscessus) received multidrug antibacterial therapy for 6 months and then successfully underwent living-donor kidney transplantation. The patient was a 2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the PHEX gene, leading to excessive production of FGF23, but the exact mechanism behind this is unclear.
  • A study of 39 Japanese patients identified 23 PHEX variants, including eight new ones, and found associations with elevated FGF23 levels and symptoms like hypophosphatemia and short stature.
  • Using 3D structural modeling, researchers discovered that the conservation of the zinc-binding site in PHEX is crucial for its function and impacts FGF23 levels, shedding light on XLH pathophysiology and providing insights for future research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Multiple actions of extracellular Pi on the skeletal cells are likely to be partly mediated by type III sodium/phosphate (Na/Pi) cotransporters Pit1 and Pit2, although the details are not fully understood. In the current study, to determine the roles of Pit1 and Pit2 in osteoblasts, we generated Pit1-knockout (KO) and Pit2-KO osteoblastic cells by applying CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to an osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1 subclone 4. The extracellular Pi level was increased in the Pit1-KO and Pit2-KO clones due to the reduced Pi uptake.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is caused by mutations in the ALPL gene encoding tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) and inherited in either an autosomal recessive or autosomal dominant manner. It is characterized clinically by defective mineralization of bone, dental problems, and low serum ALP levels. In the current report, we demonstrate a novel mutation in the ALPL gene (c.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A study analyzed various data on rickets, including levels of ALP, parathyroid hormone, and angles in leg bones, to explore the relationship between ALP levels and the severity of genu varum.
  • * The results indicated a complex biphasic relationship between ALP and the severity of genu varum, suggesting that while increased ALP is associated with initial improvements in bone structure, further increases may negatively impact leg alignment due to mechanical stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) has been centric to the regulation of phosphate (Pi) metabolism; however, the regulatory network of FGF23 in osteocytes has not yet been defined in detail. We herein investigated the role of PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted from chromosome 10) in this regulation. We created mice lacking PTEN expression mainly in osteocytes by crossing Pten-flox mice with Dmp1-Cre mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF