November 20, 2023
Niigata University
Keio University School of Medicine
A joint research group—comprising Associate Professor Masato Yano of the Department of Neuroanatomy, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University; Principal Scientist Masato Yugami of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Professor Hideyuki Okano and Project Lecturer Kayoko Yano of the Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine—has successfully identified the RNA-binding protein Secisbp2L (Sbp2l), which is specifically expressed in oligodendrocytes (hereinafter "OLs"), using bioinformatics analysis (BI analysis) and molecular and cell biological analyses. Furthermore, they have newly discovered the molecular mechanism by which Sbp2l is involved in OL maturation via the transcription factor Tcf7l2 signal, which controls OL differentiation and cholesterol metabolism. By revealing a new molecular pathway for OL maturation via RNA regulation, these research findings are expected to lead to the future elucidation of OL cell function and the pathophysiology of neurological disorders associated with OL abnormalities, as well as the development of therapeutic methods, including new drug discovery.
The results of this research were published in the online edition of the international academic journal "iScience," published by Cell Press, on November 15, 2023.
Please see below for the full press release.