The research in this laboratory has been concentrated mainly on the biochemical, molecular endocrinological, molecular biological, and molecular genetical analyses of aromatase/estrogen-system. By these analyses, we expect that we would be bale to define a strong association of aromatase/estrogen-system with aging-related disorders, such as osteoporosis, arteriosclerosis, dementia of Alzheimer type, and so on, or with carcinogenesis of estrogen-dependent breast cancers or endometrial cancers. So, we have been analyzing dynamics and physiological functions of intracellular metablosim of estrogen and its precursor steroids, and transcriptional regulation of estrogen-metablizing enzymes (aromatase, steroid sulfatase, estrogen sulfotransferase, and 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases 1- and 2-types), intracellular estrogen-signal transducing enzymes (estrogen receptors alpha and beta, ErbB2, and cyclin D1), and an estrogen-metabolic activating enzyme (Cyp1B1). Recently, we have successfully prepared aromatase knockout (ArKO) and estrogen-metabolizing enzymes transgenic mice. These embryo engineering animals has been used to study about participation of brain
aromatase in sexual differentiation of brain and regulation of sexual behaviors through neuroendocrinological and neurobehavioral analyses, and about transcriptional regulation of cell-specific, region-specific, and stage-speciific expression of brain aromatase through neuromolecular biological analysis. We have also been collaborating with clinical laboraories on the biochemical and molecular epidemiological analyses of pathogenetic factors of breast cancers and on the genetic diagnosis of congenital endocrinological disorders. |