Takeda Chemical Industries, Inc.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Hideaki Tojo

Nozomi Katayama

Shigeya Kakimoto

Reiko Sasada

Yoshihiko Kaisho

Tsutomu Henta

Osamu Shiho

A compound or its salt inhibiting the activity of a protein having an amino acid sequence which is the same or substantially the same amino acid sequence as the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, an extracellular domain of the protein above, an antibody, an antisense polynucleotide, etc. are usable as insulin-sensitizing agents and preventives and/or remedies for diabetes, obesity, hyperlipemia, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, heart disease, and so on.

Methods for screening insulin-sensitizing agents

A protein and DNA encoding the same are useful as preventives/remedies for diseases such as hypoglycemia, etc. The protein of the present invention is also useful as a reagent for screening a compound that inhibits the binding of the protein of the present invention to IRAP (insulin responsive aminopeptidase) or to GLUT4 (glucose transporter 4). The compound that inhibits the binding of the protein of the present invention to IRAP or GLUT4 is useful as a preventive/remedy for diseases, e.g., hyperglycemia, diabetes mellitus, etc.

Gene and use thereof

The present invention provides mouse embryonic stem cells and homozygous mutant mice carrying disruptions in the neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) gene generated by homologous recombination which results in the insertion of a reporter gene or a drug-resistance gene into an exon of the neurotrophin-3 gene. The mice harboring such homozygous mutations have a reduced number of sensory neurons compared with the number of sensory neurons present in a mouse lacking such mutations. These mice may be used to screen for substances that enhance the transcriptional activity of the NT-3 gene.

Neurotrophin-3-deficient embryonic stem cells and mice and their use

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Hideaki Tojo