子宮内膜症・腺筋症における幹細胞の役割の解明

本研究では, 子宮内膜症および子宮腺筋症の発生・進展における幹細胞の役割を明らかにするために, ヒト内膜細胞を用いた腹膜内膜症モデルマウスの開発を行い, 磁性体により内膜症様病変をマウス壁側腹膜の任意の位置に局在させ得る戦略が可能で有ることを示した。同時に, 新たに幹細胞標識追跡法を開発することで, 組織(病変)再構成過程における幹細胞の振る舞いを検証できるin vivoシステムを構築し得た。さらに, 子宮腺筋症の類縁疾患である子宮平滑筋腫の病因メカニズムに幹細胞とWNT/β-Catenin経路が関与することを明らかにした。 In this study we aimed to elucidate the role of stem cells in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and adenomyosis. Firstly, we attempted to develop a novel mouse model of peritoneal endometriosis using magnetic materials and succeeded in locating endometriotic-like lesion(s) arbitrarily at the ventral peritoneum in immunodeficient mice. Secondly, we have developed a novel cell labeling and tracking method to investigate the behavior of the labeled human endometrial stem cells during human endometrial tissue reconstitution and possibly in the process of establishment of endometriotic-like lesion in mice. Thirdly, we clarified a paracrine role of the WNT/beta-Catenin in the stem cell-driven pathogenesis of uterine leiomyoma which is thought to share some common features with adenomyosis.