Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation

Seiko Yoshimura

Eiichi Akahoshi

Mitsuko Ishihara

Saeko Uruno

According to one embodiment, a cell for measuring a level of Ah receptor transcriptional activation is provided. The cell is derived from a neural cell. The cell contains a chromosome into which a reporter construct and an Ah receptor gene are introduced. The reporter construct has a sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1 and a reporter gene operably linked to the downstream of the nucleotide sequence. The sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1 has a recognizing sequence of an Ah receptor and a nucleotide sequence which is operably linked to the downstream of the recognizing sequence and required to initiate transcription.

Cell, method, and assay kit for measuring level of aryl hydrocarbon receptor transcriptional activation

A vector includes an enhancer region derived from a transcriptional regulatory region of tyrosine hydroxylase gene wherein the enhancer region enhances transcription amount of a downstream gene in response to a test substance, a promoter which is functionally linked to downstream of the enhancer region, and a reporter gene which is functionally linked to downstream of the promoter.

Vector and method for detecting the change in transcription amount

The invention provides neuron-derived cells obtained by transfecting a receptor-expressing nucleic acid having an aryl hydrocarbon receptor gene, wherein outgrowth of neurites is not observed without adding a substance for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, and outgrowth of neurites is observed by adding the substance for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. The invention also provides a method for determining the presence of neurotoxicity of a test substance, a method for acquiring a marker for determining the presence of neurotoxicity of the test substance, a method for acquiring a marker for neurological dysfunction, and a method for determining the effect of the test substance on neurological dysfunction using such cells.

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Tokyo, Japan

Seiko Yoshimura