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• Mechanisms regulating trophoblast differentiation

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Published Papers 【 display / non-display 】

• Functional disruption of oxytocin projections participates atypical social and anxiety-like behaviours in BTBR mouse model of autism.

  Higuchi Y, Ozawa A, Kobayashi R, Konno T, Arakawa H

  Open biology ( Open Biology )  15 ( 8 ) 240387   2025.08 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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  <jats:p> Oxytocin (OXT) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), which send projections to the medial amygdala (MeA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BnST), are implicated in regulation of prosocial-emotional behaviours and abnormalities resembling autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Compared with standard C57BL6J (B6) mice, BTBR mice, a behaviour-based ASD model, exhibited decreased densities of OXT <jats:sup>PVN</jats:sup> neurons and attenuated OXT neuronal responses to a social encounter. OXT receptor mRNA expressions in the MeA and BnST as a response to a social encounter were blunted in BTBR mice. OXT promoter retrograde viral tracing revealed that the OXT <jats:sup>PVN→BnST</jats:sup> projections were defective in those BTBR mice. Thus, chemogenetic excitation of OXT <jats:sup>PVN→MeA</jats:sup> neurons using OXT promoter adeno-associated viruses (AAV) enhanced anxiety-like behaviour and facilitated social investigation in both strains, while excitation of OXT <jats:sup>PVN→BnST</jats:sup> neurons attenuated anxiety-like behaviour along with social investigation in B6 mice and failed to induce a change in their socio-emotional behaviours in BTBR mice. Altogether, OXT circuits serve as a key regulator for socio-emotional behaviour; MeA-OXT projection facilitates social investigation and anxiety-like behaviour, while BnST-OXT projection conversely attenuates these behaviours; hence a defect of the OXT <jats:sup>PVN→BnST</jats:sup> circuits contributes to the development of ASD-like social phenotypes in BTBR mice. </jats:p>

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• Melatonin improves the in vitro growth of bovine oocytes collected from early antral follicles by maintaining oocyte-cumulus cell communication.

  Islam MN, Ebara F, Konno T, Tatemoto H, Yamanaka KI

  Reproductive medicine and biology   24 ( 1 ) e12629   2025.01 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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• Adolescent social isolation disrupts developmental tuning of neuropeptide circuits in the hypothalamus to amygdala regulating social and defensive behavior.

  Arakawa H, Tokashiki M, Higuchi Y, Konno T

  Peptides ( Peptides )  175   171178   2024.05 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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• The strong anti-hyaluronidase effect of ellagic acid markedly decreases polyspermy during in vitro fertilization, resulting in sustainment of the developmental potency in porcine oocytes.

  Kawasaki K, Hirai M, Ishiki Y, Nagahama A, Konno T, Yamanaka K, Tatemoto H

  Theriogenology ( Theriogenology )  215   95 - 102   2024.02 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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  The present study investigated the effects of ellagic acid, a type of polyphenol that does not have a glycan and is composed of four hydroxyl groups and two lactone functional groups, on porcine in vitro fertilization (IVF) by focusing on its anti-hyaluronidase activity. A comparative analysis of ellagic acid and apigenin, which is commonly used as a hyaluronidase inhibitor, was performed. It compared the effects of ellagic acid and apigenin on hyaluronidase activity at different concentrations. The results showed that 10, 20, and 40 μM ellagic acid strongly reduced hyaluronidase activity (P < 0.05). The addition of 20 μM ellagic acid, but not apigenin, to porcine IVF medium effectively reduced polyspermy without decreasing sperm penetration or the formation rates of male pronuclei in cumulus-free oocytes. However, neither ellagic acid nor apigenin affected the number of sperm that bound to zona pellucida (ZP) or the induction of zona hardening and protease resistance. The percentage of acrosome-reacting sperm that bound to the ZP was markedly lower in the presence of 20 μM ellagic acid than in the untreated and apigenin-treated groups, even though the antioxidant capacity of ellagic acid was weaker than that of apigenin. Furthermore, a markedly higher percentage of embryos developed to the blastocyst stage in the ellagic acid-treated group, and the apoptotic indexes of expanded blastocysts produced by the ellagic acid treatment during IVF were significantly low. Therefore, the anti-hyaluronidase effect of ellagic acid markedly suppressed the induction of the acrosome reaction in sperm that bound to the ZP, resulting in a marked decrease in polyspermy under conditions that maintained high sperm penetrability during IVF and sustainment of the developmental potency in porcine oocytes.

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• Re-Evaluation of the Cross-Reactions of the Antibody against the Causative Agent for Paracoccidioidomycosis Ceti; Paracoccidioides ceti and the Related Fungal Species.

  Kanegae H, de Souza Suguiura IM, Tashiro R, Konno T, Hou DX, Sano A, Eto T, Ueda K, Hossain MA

  Microorganisms ( Microorganisms )  11 ( 10 )   2023.09 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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  Paracoccidioidomycosis ceti (PCM-C) is a chronic granulomatous keloidal dermatitis in cetaceans that has been reported worldwide and is caused by Paracoccidioides ceti. Serological cross-reactions among highly pathogenic fungal infections and related diseases have been reported. However, the true cross-reaction of antibodies against P. ceti has remained unknown due to the use of positive control sera from infected dolphins. This study aimed to re-evaluate antibodies from mechanically dislodged fungal cells in the infected tissue of a PCM-C case and demonstrate the actual cross-reaction. The results revealed a limited cross-reaction between PCM-C and paracoccidioidomycosis, while the antibodies did not react with other pathogens such as Coccidioides posadasii, Histoplasama capsulatum, and Arthrographis kalrae. Thus, the method for evaluation of the antibody against PCM-C is reliable, and there is potential for epidemiological study.

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Presentations 【 display / non-display 】

• A novel pro-metastatic role of interleukin-17F in a mouse model of melanoma lung metastasis

  Masayuki Umemura, Toshihiro Konno, Kohsuke Tsuchiya, Hiroyasu Kidoya

  第54回日本免疫学会学術集会  2025.12  -  2025.12 

• がん肺転移を促進するインターロイキン(IL)-17Fの新規機能の解明

  梅村正幸, 金野俊洋, 土屋晃介, 木戸屋浩康

  第36回日本生体防御学会学術総会  2025.09  -  2025.09 

• Phospho-tau distribution based on the new brain map of the mouse hippocampal formation

  The 68th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Neurochemistry  2025.09  -  2025.09 

• Localization and characteristics of IL-17F in the mycobacteria-infected lungs

  Masayuki Umemura, Toshihiro Konno, Giichi Takaesu, Goro Matsuzaki

  第53回 日本免疫学会学術集会  (長崎市)  2024.12  -  2024.12 

• Ovarian estrogen negatively regulates uterine eosinophil distribution during implantation window in mice.

  Tomomi Kurane, Akira Morooka, Toshihiro Konno

  OIST and Univ. Ryukyus Joint Symposium  (Okinawa)  2017.10  -  2017.10 

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Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 【 display / non-display 】

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 【 display / non-display 】

• Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(C)

  Project Year: 2022.04  -  2025.03 

• Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(C)

  Project Year: 2015  -  2017 

  Direct: 3,800,000 (YEN)  Overheads: 1,140,000 (YEN)  Total: 4,940,000 (YEN)