197 results match your criteria: "Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology[Affiliation]"

Progenitor effect in the spleen drives early recovery via universal hematopoietic cell inflation.

Cell Rep

January 2025

Division of Cell Regulation, Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Division of Cell Engineering, Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Laboratory for Stem Cell Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Tsukuba University, Ibaraki, Japan. Electronic address:

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) possess the capacity to regenerate the entire hematopoietic system. However, the precise HSC dynamics in the early post-transplantation phase remain an enigma. Clinically, the initial hematopoiesis in the post-transplantation period is critical, necessitating strategies to accelerate hematopoietic recovery.

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Diverse Cre recombinase expression pattern in Albumin-Cre driver rats.

Exp Anim

January 2025

Division of Animal Genetics, Laboratory Animal Research Center, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo.

Rats (Rattus norvegicus) have been widely utilized as model animals due to their physiological characteristics, making them suitable for surgical and long-term studies. They have played a crucial role in biomedical research, complementing studies conducted in mice. The advent of genome editing technologies has facilitated the generation of genetically modified rat strains, advancing studies in experimental animals.

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A versatile in vivo platform for reversible control of transgene expression in adult tissues.

Stem Cell Reports

January 2025

Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. Electronic address:

Temporal control of transgenes has advanced biomedical interventions, including in vivo reprogramming, often utilizing the doxycycline (Dox)-mediated Tet-ON system. Here, we developed the Dox-mediated Tet-ON or complementary Tet-OFF counterpart to thoroughly investigate spatial and temporal transgene regulation in adult tissues, revealing inherent limitations and unexpected capabilities of each system. In stark contrast with the Tet-ON system, which was effective only in particular tissues and cell types, primarily epithelial cells, the Tet-OFF system proved capable of gene induction across diverse cell types.

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CRISPR Diagnostics for Quantification and Rapid Diagnosis of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Repeat Expansion Disorders.

ACS Synth Biol

December 2024

Division of Animal Genetics, Laboratory Animal Research Center, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan.

Repeat expansion disorders, exemplified by myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), present challenges in diagnostic quantification because of the variability and complexity of repeat lengths. Traditional diagnostic methods, including PCR and Southern blotting, exhibit limitations in sensitivity and specificity, necessitating the development of innovative approaches for precise and rapid diagnosis. Here, we introduce a CRISPR-based diagnostic method, REPLICA (peat-rimed ocating of nherited disease by s3), for the quantification and rapid diagnosis of DM1.

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Inhibition of TOPORS ubiquitin ligase augments the efficacy of DNA hypomethylating agents through DNMT1 stabilization.

Nat Commun

August 2024

Division of Stem Cell and Molecular Medicine, Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

DNA hypomethylating agents (HMAs) are used for the treatment of myeloid malignancies, although their therapeutic effects have been unsatisfactory. Here we show that CRISPR-Cas9 screening reveals that knockout of topoisomerase 1-binding arginine/serine-rich protein (TOPORS), which encodes a ubiquitin/SUMO E3 ligase, augments the efficacy of HMAs on myeloid leukemic cells with little effect on normal hematopoiesis, suggesting that TOPORS is involved in resistance to HMAs. HMAs are incorporated into the DNA and trap DNA methyltransferase-1 (DNMT1) to form DNA-DNMT1 crosslinks, which undergo SUMOylation, followed by proteasomal degradation.

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Genome editing using type I-E CRISPR-Cas3 in mice and rat zygotes.

Cell Rep Methods

August 2024

Division of Animal Genetics, Laboratory Animal Research Center, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan; Division of Genome Engineering, Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan. Electronic address:

The type I CRISPR system has recently emerged as a promising tool, especially for large-scale genomic modification, but its application to generate model animals by editing zygotes had not been established. In this study, we demonstrate genome editing in zygotes using the type I-E CRISPR-Cas3 system, which efficiently generates deletions of several thousand base pairs at targeted loci in mice with 40%-70% editing efficiency without off-target mutations. To overcome the difficulties associated with detecting the variable deletions, we used a newly long-read sequencing-based multiplex genotyping approach.

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Obesity is often associated with aging. However, the mechanism of age-related obesity is unknown. The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) mediates leptin-melanocortin anti-obesity signaling in the hypothalamus.

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Pathogenic variants of constitute hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome, and mutant is a risk for various cancers. Whereas the clinical guideline for HBOC patients has been organized for the therapy and prevention of cancer, there is no recommendation on the female reproductive discipline. Indeed, the role of pathogenic variants in ovarian reserve has not been established due to the deficiency of appropriate animal models.

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A novel Kit mutant rat enables hematopoietic stem cell engraftment without irradiation.

Exp Hematol

April 2024

Division of Animal Genetics, Laboratory Animal Research Center, Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Division of Genome Engineering, Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address:

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is extensively studied in mouse models, but their limited scale presents challenges for effective engraftment and comprehensive evaluations. Rats, owing to their larger size and anatomical similarity to humans, offer a promising alternative. In this study, we establish a rat model with the Kit mutation, mirroring Kit mice often used in KIT signaling and HSC research.

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Age-related decline in spermatogenic activity accompanied with endothelial cell senescence in male mice.

iScience

December 2023

Laboratory of Reproductive Systems Biology, Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan.

Article Synopsis
  • Male fertility declines with age, partly due to decreased spermatogenic activity linked to changes in the testicular environment.
  • Research in mice shows a significant reduction in the number and growth of spermatogonia as they age.
  • The study finds that senescent endothelial cells accumulate in the testes of older mice and that removing these cells can restore the supportive functions of younger testicular cells, indicating their role in declining fertility.
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Characterization of novel, severely immunodeficient Prkdc mice.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun

October 2023

Laboratory of Systems Biology, Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan; Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 739-8528, Japan. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Severely immunodeficient mice are valuable for researching tumors and therapeutic agents, as well as studying human viral infections when engrafted with human cells.
  • The study identified a unique immunodeficient mouse strain with a mutation in the Prkdc gene that has poor immune cell development and is vulnerable to influenza.
  • Additionally, the creation of NPG mice, which lack all lymphocyte types, allows for the successful engraftment of human tumor cell lines, enhancing the study of cancer and immunodeficiency models.
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TLR7/8 stress response drives histiocytosis in SLC29A3 disorders.

J Exp Med

September 2023

Division of Innate Immunity, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Loss-of-function mutations in the lysosomal nucleoside transporter SLC29A3 cause lysosomal nucleoside storage and histiocytosis: phagocyte accumulation in multiple organs. However, little is known about the mechanism by which lysosomal nucleoside storage drives histiocytosis. Herein, histiocytosis in Slc29a3-/- mice was shown to depend on Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), which senses a combination of nucleosides and oligoribonucleotides (ORNs).

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Disruption of testis-enriched cytochrome c oxidase subunit COX6B2 but not COX8C leads to subfertility.

Exp Anim

February 2024

Department of Experimental Genome Research, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.

Article Synopsis
  • Mammalian sperm flagellum's midpiece has tightly packed mitochondria, critical for ATP production, but their exact roles in sperm motility and male fertility remain unclear.
  • The study generated knockout mice for two testis-enriched COX subunits, COX6B2 and COX8C, to investigate their impact on male fertility and mitochondrial function.
  • Results showed that lack of COX6B2 leads to low sperm motility and male subfertility, while COX8C disruption does not affect fertility, suggesting COX6B2 is important for sperm movement but not essential for mitochondrial energy production.
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High-frequency spectroscopy (HFS) is an analytical method that is sensitive to slight changes in the dielectric properties of materials. Since water has high permittivity, HFS can be used to detect changes in water content in materials. In this study, we employed HFS to measure human skin moisture during a water sorption-desorption test.

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The roles of BST-2 in murine B cell development and on virus propagation.

Microbiol Immunol

March 2023

Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.

The bone marrow (BM) stromal cell antigen-2 (BST-2), also known as tetherin, CD317, PDCA-1, or HM1.24, is a membrane protein overexpressed in several types of tumors and may act as a promising target for cancer treatment via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. BST-2 is also expressed in human BM stromal cells (BMSC), which support B cell development.

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Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is still a social burden associated with asbestos exposure. Local iron accumulation thereby represents the major pathogenesis, followed by oxidative DNA strand breaks and genomic alterations in the mesothelium. BRCA1 is a critical component of homologous recombination repair directed to DNA double-stranded breaks, whereas BRCA1 germline mutation is an established risk for breast/ovarian cancer, its role in MM development remains to be elucidated.

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Efficient simultaneous double DNA knock-in in murine embryonic stem cells by CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein-mediated circular plasmid targeting for generating gene-manipulated mice.

Sci Rep

December 2022

Laboratory of Reproductive Systems Biology, Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan.

Article Synopsis
  • The study compares the gene knock-in (KI) efficiency of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells using CRISPR/Cas9 methods, showing that using ribonucleoprotein (RNP) significantly increases KI efficiency.
  • By employing a circular plasmid with homologous arms as a targeting vector, the researchers achieved successful KI in ES cell clones without the need for drug selection, streamlining the process.
  • The introduction of a drug-resistant cassette allows for double DNA KI with high efficiency through a single electroporation, simplifying the creation of genetically modified mouse models for biological research.
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Cyba and Nox2 mutant rats show different incidences of eosinophilia in the genetic background- and sex-dependent manner.

Exp Anim

May 2023

Division of Animal Research, Research Center for Supports to Advanced Science, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.

Article Synopsis
  • The Matsumoto Eosinophilia Shinshu (MES) is a rat model exhibiting 100% eosinophilia in both genders due to a loss-of-function mutation in the Cyba gene, which affects the superoxide-generating NADPH oxidase complex.
  • Recent studies revealed that loss of the NOX2 enzyme is specifically responsible for causing blood eosinophilia in these rats, while the influence of genetic background and gender also play roles in the disorder's development.
  • The findings from this research involving various rat strains aim to help understand the molecular mechanisms leading to eosinophilia and could inform future studies on the disease.
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The LAMA5 gene encodes laminin α5, an indispensable component of glomerular basement membrane and other types of basement membrane. A homozygous pathological variant in LAMA5 is known to cause a systemic developmental syndrome including glomerulopathy. However, the roles of heterozygous LAMA5 gene variants in human renal and systemic diseases have remained unclear.

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CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Highly Efficient Gene Targeting in Embryonic Stem Cells for Developing Gene-Manipulated Mouse Models.

J Vis Exp

August 2022

Laboratory of Reproductive Systems Biology, Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo; Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University;

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has made it possible to develop genetically modified mice by direct genome editing using fertilized zygotes. However, although the efficiency in developing gene-knockout mice by inducing small indel mutation would be sufficient enough, the efficiency of embryo genome editing for making large-size DNA knock-in (KI) is still low. Therefore, in contrast to the direct KI method in embryos, gene targeting using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) followed by embryo injection to develop chimera mice still has several advantages (e.

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IL-25 contributes to development of chronic contact dermatitis in C57BL/6 mice, but not BALB/c mice.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun

November 2022

Laboratory of Systems Biology, Center for Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan; Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 739-8511, Japan. Electronic address:

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by type 2 immune responses. Interleukin-25 (IL-25) is produced predominantly by epithelial cells. It can activate Th2 cells to produce type 2 cytokines such as IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13, contributing to host defense against nematodes.

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Dynamic mechanisms of CRISPR interference by Escherichia coli CRISPR-Cas3.

Nat Commun

August 2022

Division of Animal Genetics, Laboratory Animal Research Center, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan.

Type I CRISPR-Cas3 uses an RNA-guided multi Cas-protein complex, Cascade, which detects and degrades foreign nucleic acids via the helicase-nuclease Cas3 protein. Despite many studies using cryoEM and smFRET, the precise mechanism of Cas3-mediated cleavage and degradation of target DNA remains elusive. Here we reconstitute the CRISPR-Cas3 system in vitro to show how the Escherichia coli Cas3 (EcoCas3) with EcoCascade exhibits collateral non-specific single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) cleavage and target specific DNA degradation.

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YAP1/TAZ activity maintains vascular integrity and organismal survival.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun

September 2022

Division of Stem Cell and Molecular Medicine, Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address:

Radiation therapy is one of the major treatment modalities for patients with cancers. However, ionizing radiation (IR) damages not only cancer cells but also the surrounding vascular endothelial cells (ECs). Hippo pathway effector genes Yap1 and Taz are the two transcriptional coactivators that have crucial roles in tissue homeostasis and vascular integrity in various organs.

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