京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第21336号 / 医博第4394号 / 新制||医||1031(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 横出 正之, 教授 岩井 一宏, 教授 戸口田 淳也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Color is an essential part of everyday life, but it is often not given the consideration it deserves. Simply, waking up in the morning and pulling on a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt is an example of a decision made about color. What behooves a person to dress in a certain color? Is it related to their mood? Is it related to the kind of work they do? Similar questions can be asked about the exterior color of a person’s home. Why did they choose that color? How do they feel about their house’s color? Did they choose its color? Did they choose the color because it looked harmonious with their neighbor’s house? Is it fair to wonder whether there is a discernible reason behind every color decision that is made? The prevalence of the unassuming color beige on residences throughout Western Massachusetts and the curiosity to know why it is so common, was the specific impetus for this project. Why has beige, in particular, been selected as an acceptable house color? Moreover, why aren’t other colors like pink or orange, often seen on houses? There are regional, historical, and larger cultural investigations that can shed light on why some colors are favored over others. It must be acknowledged that to dwell in the realm of color, is inevitably to dwell in the realm of opinion. This project seeks to explore color in a conciliatory, strategic manner, that does not polarize those who prefer one color against those who do not. Rather, a case is made for how color’s treasure trove of untapped potential can be given a greater purpose amongst the built environment.

The increasing prevalence of obesity and related health complications, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, demands thorough investigation of the underlying processes. One of the key tissues investigated in this context is adipose tissue. It is becoming increasingly clear that adipose tissue is a very dynamic and heterogenic organ. This thesis provides an overview of various aspects of adipose biology that illustrate its heterogenic nature and describes my own scientific contributions to this field. We typically distinguish between thermogenic, energy-expending brown adipocytes and energy-storing white adipocytes that are located in anatomically distinct adipose depots. In addition, brite (or beige) adipocytes are functionally thermogenic, but are located among white adipocytes. Related to functional variation, adipocytes and adipose tissues display a wide range of morphological appearances. An additional property that illustrates the heterogeneity among adipose cells and depots is the variation of cellular responses to physiological cues, such as changes in diet or environmental temperature. Furthermore, the developmental origins of various adipose types display great heterogeneity, which may explain some of the functional and dynamic differences that are observed. In line with the complexity of developmental origins, molecular markers that were initially proposed to distinguish between brown, brite/beige and white adipose subtypes have added to the notion that the composition of the adipose organ is much more complex than has long been appreciated. My own work has contributed to the enhancement of our understanding of the heterogeneity of adipose subtypes. In particular, my findings related to marker gene expression patterns have led to increased appreciation of the complex nature of adipose gene expression patterns and the complications of translating results obtained in mice to humans. Some of my other contributions have increased the understanding of the differences and similarities in thermogenic adipose tissue functionality and dynamics. With cell culture studies, I have revealed new characteristics of pre-adipose cells from various depots that further add to the appreciation of the adipose heterogeneity. Overall, this thesis provides an overview of important characteristics of the adipose organ, illustrating its heterogenic nature. Realization of this heterogeneity is of importance in order to properly study the adipose organ to ultimately understand how the adipose organ can be therapeutically targeted to effectively treat adipose-related diseases. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 7: Manuscript. Paper 8: Manuscript.</p>

Thermogenic brown adipose tissue generates heat via mitochondrial uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), increases whole-body energy expenditure and may protects against obesity and metabolic disorders. White adipocytes store excess energy in the form of triglycerides. UCP-1 positive adipocytes develop within white adipose tissue (beige or brite adipocytes) in response to cold exposure or β3 adrenergic agonists. It was known that beige adipocytes arise from a distinct lineage compared with brown adipocytes, but the developmental origin of the beige adipocytes is still unclear. Signaling pathways that control beige adipocyte determination and formation are essentially unknown. Here, we identified a novel signaling pathway that regulates the lineage specification of beige adipocytes. Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7), a known brown adipogenesis inducer, suppresses Rho-GTPase kinase (ROCK) and depolymerizes F-actin (filamentous actin) into G-actin (globular actin) in mesenchymal stem cells. G-actin regulates myocardin-related transcription factor A (MRTFA) that co-transactivates serum response factor (SRF) and promotes smooth muscle cell differentiation in various organs. Subcutaneous white adipose tissue from MRTFA-/- mice had enhanced accumulation of UCP-1+ adipocytes and elevated levels of brown-selective proteins. Compared with wild type (WT) controls, MRTFA-/- mice exhibited improved metabolic profiles and were protected from diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, suggesting that the beige adipocytes are physiologically functional. Compared to WT mice, stromal vascular cells from MRTFA-/- mice expressed higher levels of distinct beige progenitor markers and reduced levels of smooth muscle markers. Our studies demonstrate a novel ROCK-actin-MRTFA/SRF pathway that contributes to the development of beige adipocytes.

Brown and beige fat are specialized adipose tissues found in almost all mammals that can increase energy expenditure and produce heat. Cold exposure and b3-adrenergic stimulation has been extensively shown to activate brown adipose tissue (BAT) in rodents, which promotes uncoupled respiration of glucose and lipid substrates via uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). Prolonged stimulation can induce white adipose browning, which leads to the emergence of thermogenic cells within white fat depots, called beige adipocytes. The beige adipocyte possesses a unique molecular signature, yet shares several characteristics of brown adipocytes, including high mitochondrial content. When activated, beige fat can be induced to initiate a thermogenic transcriptional program similar to that of BAT. Recent human studies have identified brown and/or beige fat in the supraclavicular region using various radiation imaging modalities. This remarkable discovery has reinvigorated scientific interest in adipose browning and brown/beige fat activation as possible therapeutic targets for obesity. Like in rodents, several groups have previously tested the potential impact of cold exposure and b3-adrenergic agonism on BAT-mediated thermogenesis in humans. However, even though these approaches were shown to significantly increase energy expenditure and promote weight loss in obese individuals, they are not ideal clinical interventions. Cold exposure is uncomfortable and requires prolonged treatment, while b3-adrenergic agonists may lead to many adverse effects like cardiovascular problems. This thesis will evaluate the therapeutic potential and clinical relevance of alternative anti-obesity approaches that target adipose browning and beige adipose activation.

Adipose tissue is an organ that plays an important role in energy storage, nutritional balance and thermogenesis. White and brown adipose tissues have distinct cell morphology and metabolic functions. White adipose tissue (WAT) with unilocular lipid droplets serves as a major site of energy storage, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) with multilocular lipid droplets plays an important role in thermogenesis via a mitochondrial protein, uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). These cells are derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Newly discovered beige adipocytes are derived from the same MSC precursors as WAT but resemble BAT due to expression of UCP1. Due to side effects of drugs for treating obesity, activation of UCP1 positive beige adipocytes in WAT has become a new therapeutic target. The interaction of extracellular matrix (ECM) with integrin was found to regulate cell specification of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) via intracellular signaling. However, the role of individual ECM proteins in beige adipogenesis in WAT remains unknown. Therefore, we established a system for culturing stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells from inguinal WAT on ECM protein coated plates and differentiating the cells into either white or beige adipocytes. We found that cells cultured on type I collagen had more round cell morphology and higher mRNA expression of thermogenic genes, UCP1 and type II iodothyronine deiodinase (DIO2),which was further enhanced in myocardin-related transcription factor A (MRTFA) knockout SVF cells. MRTFA has been reported to regulate beige adipogenesis in BMP-ROCK signaling pathway. Based on our data, we found that type I collagen-integrin signaling regulates beige adipogenesis by controlling the activity of MRTFA in MSCs. Our study has provided an insight into developing therapeutic drugs to enhance beige adipocytes formation in WAT for reducing obesity in the future.

The feasibility of the Alb-uPA/SCID/Bg chimeric mouse as a model for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection was assessed experimentally by (1) the infection and treatment with another hepatotropic virus, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and (2) the infection of the model with HCV and the subsequent treatment of that infection with a pro-apoptotic factor (BID) targeted to infected hepatocytes. In the former, the infected mouse responded favorably, and in the manner of human patients, to a standard imunoglobulin therapy. In the latter, HCV-infected hepatocytes were successfully targeted for cell death, with repeated doses of Adenovirus-delivered BID being the most effective at inhibiting virus spread. Efficacy and toxic side-effects of BID treatment could be reconciled by modulating the timing between doses, the most effective tested being three doses of BID at 7-day intervals. Analyses of chimeric model production were undertaken to improve the quality of human hepatocyte engraftment (typically only 25-35% of mice receiving grafts are currently used experimentally). Minor variations in success rates were experienced with respect to donor age or health status, or the age of recipient mice within an operational window of 5 to 13 days from birth. The greatest obstacle to useful engraftment (aside from technical challenges) was deemed to be the genetic/cellular integrity of the recipient mouse. This conclusion was based on variable engraftment success with ‘healthy’ donor cell preparations and a consideration of variability in immune deficiency arising in mice within a SCID/Bg mouse colony. / Experimental Surgery

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京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第22073号 / 農博第2365号 / 新制||農||1072(附属図書館) / 学位論文||R1||N5227(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科食品生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 井上 和生, 教授 保川 清, 教授 谷 史人 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第19785号 / 農博第2181号 / 新制||農||1042(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H28||N5001(農学部図書室) / 32821 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科食品生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 河田 照雄, 教授 金本 龍平, 教授 谷 史人 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DGAM