Over many years we have carried out researches about neurotrophic factors, biologically active proteins that act on promoting neuronal generation, differentiation and maintaining neuronal functions including synaptic plasticity in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology. We have recently interested and investigated in large varieties of mechanisms regulating gene expression in the central nervous system. Based on results from two main topics of basic researches, investigations aimed to elucidate etiology of and develop therapeutic drugs for neurological or psychiatric disorders are performed. For instance, the low-molecular-weight compounds that mimic neurotrophic factor activities have been invented and tested their efficacy for the disease model animals of depression, spinal cord injury and neurodevelopmental disorders (Fig. 1 ). Our research includes objects to clarify biological activities of the bee products, royal jelly and propolis and their components, and apply them for human health promotion and clinical usage. In addition, we are working on a clinical project aimed to treat human spinal cord injury by transplantation of the human dental pulp cells (Fig. 2 ). As treatment of the spinal cord injury has not yet been established, this research project is greatly expected.
研究課題 Research Objectives
神経栄養因子の医学的応用に関する研究 Investigations aimed at clinical application of neurotrophic factors
発生・発達脳、病態脳における mRNA 前駆体の 3 ′- 末端修飾の役割に関する研究 Investigation for biological roles of the pre-mRNA 3 ′-end processing in the functional development of the mammalian brain and in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders
体性感覚と情動の神経回路の発達に関する研究 Investigation for the neurocircuit development of somatosensory and emotional systems.
脊髄病変に対する基礎 / 非臨床研究 Basic/pre-clinical investigations for spinal cord disease
最近の研究成果 Research Results
Murasawa H, Kobayashi H, Imai J, Nagase T, Soumiya H, Fukumitsu H. Substantial acetylcholine reduction in multiple brain regions of Mecp2-deficient female rats and associated behavioral abnormalities. PLos One. 16 (10) e0258830 (2021).
Sakade Y, Yamanaka K, Soumiya H, Furukawa S, Fukumitsu H. Exposure to valproic acid during middle to latestage corticogenesis induces learning and social behavioral abnormalities with attention deficit/hyperactivity in adult mice. Biomed Res. 40 (5), 179-188 (2019).
Soumiya H, Araiso H, Furukawa S, Fukumitsu H. Pyrroloquinoline quinone improves abnormal functional development of whisker-mediated tactile perception and social behaviors caused by neonatal whisker trimming. Neurosci Lett. 705,67-73 (2019).
Sugiyama K, Nagashima K, Miwa T, Shimizu Y, Kawaguchi T, Iida K, Tamaoki N, Hatakeyama D, Aoki H, Abe C, Morita H, Kunisada T, Shibata T, Fukumitsu H, Tezuka KI. FGF2-responsive genes in human dental pulp cells assessed using a rat spinal cord injury model. J Bone Miner Metab. 37 (3), 467-474 (2019).
Nagashima K, Miwa T, Soumiya H, Ushiro D, Takeda-Kawaguchi T, Tamaoki N, Ishiguro S, Sato Y, Miyamoto K, Ohno T, Osawa M, Kunisada T, Shibata T, Tezuka KI, Furukawa S, Fukumitsu H., Priming with FGF2 stimulates human dental pulp cells to promote axonal regeneration and locomotor function recovery after spinal cord injury. Sci Rep. 7:13500 (2017).
