Nb Health Laboratory Co., Ltd.

Kansai Medical University

Maretoshi Hirai

Tomoyuki Nakamura

The present invention provides a technique for conveniently and efficiently regenerating elastic fiber retaining a normal structure, and a technique enabling preparation of an artificial tissue comprising elastic fiber (for example, artificial skin, artificial blood vessels) that can be transplanted to humans. Specifically, the invention provides a method of producing elastic fiber, comprising culturing (for example, culturing in serum-free medium) cells having the capability of regenerating elastic fiber in the presence of DANCE and/or fibulin-4; artificial elastic fiber comprising DANCE and/or fibulin-4; an elastic fiber regenerating agent; a serum-free medium comprising DANCE and/or fibulin-4; and cells having the capability of regenerating elastic fiber, transfected with at least one of a DANCE expression vector, a fibulin-4 expression vector and a DANCE inducing factor expression vector, and the like.

Method of regenerating elastic fiber with the use of dance or factor enhancing the expression thereof

A method of screening for a medicine capable of regulating generation of elastic fibrous tissue; and various means that are requisite for the method. In particular, the invention includes a polypeptide obtained by cleaving DANCE and a polynucleotide coding for the polypeptide; a method of cleaving DANCE; an antibody against the polypeptide obtained by cleaving DANCE; a method of measuring the amount of DANCE cleavage and a kit therefore; a DANCE variant and its polynucleotide; various DANCE complexes and a method of preparing such; a method of screening for a substance capable of regulating DANCE or a DANCE-specific protease, and a substance obtained by such screening method; an agent for regulating generation of elastic fibrous tissue; and a kit with DANCE and a polynucleotide coding for the same.

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Kyoto, Japan

Maretoshi Hirai