Tohoku University · Immunology and Microbiology
Professor Hisashi Aso's research lab focuses on the physiological and immunological roles of serotonin, particularly peripheral serotonin, in metabolic regulation and innate immunity. The lab investigates how serotonin influences glucose and lipid metabolism, energy expenditure, and insulin sensitivity, with implications for treating metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the lab explores immunomodulatory mechanisms in bovine models, including the host response to bacterial pathogens in mastitis and the identification of mucosal immune markers in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue. These studies integrate molecular immunology, metabolism, and translational physiology to uncover novel therapeutic targets.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
There are two independent serotonin (5-HT) systems of organization: one in the central nervous system and the other in the periphery. 5-HT affects feeding behavior and obesity in the central nervous system. On the other hand, peripheral 5-HT also may play an important role in obesity, as it has been reported that 5-HT regulates glucose and lipid metabolism. Here we show that the intraperitoneal injection of 5-HT to mice inhibits weight gain, hyperglycemia and insulin resistance and completely pr
Serotonin is synthesized by two distinct tryptophan hydroxylases, one in the brain and one in the periphery. The latter is known to be unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. These two serotonin systems have apparently independent functions, although the functions of peripheral serotonin have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we have investigated the physiological effect of peripheral serotonin on the concentrations of metabolites in the circulation and in the liver. After fasting, mic
After oral administration of an organic germanium compound, Ge-132 (300 mg/kg), a significant level of interferon (IFN) activity was detected in the sera of mice at 20 hr and it reached a maximum of 320 U/ml at 24 hr. This IFN activity was lost after heat- or acid-treatment, suggesting that the induced IFN is of gamma-nature. The molecular weight of this IFN was estimated to be 50,000 daltons by gel filtration. The NK activity of spleen cells was increased 24 hr after the oral administration of
Recent studies show new physiological functions of peripheral serotonin, linked to glucose and lipid metabolism. Peripheral serotonin may serve as an attractive new therapeutic target for the treatment of metabolic disorders in the near future.
Bovine mastitis is the inflammatory reaction of the mammary gland and is commonly caused by bacterial infections in high-yielding dairy cows. The detailed investigation of the immunotranscriptomic response of bovine mammary epithelial (BME) cells to pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) activation by microbial-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) can be of great importance for understanding the innate immune defense mechanisms, and for exploring the immunomodulatory candidate genes. In this work
Microfold (M) cells in the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) of Peyer's patches have an important role in mucosal immune responses. A primary difficulty for investigations of bovine M cells is the lack of a specific molecular marker. To identify such a marker, we investigated the expression of several kinds of intermediate filament proteins using calf Peyer's patches. The expression patterns of cytokeratin (CK) 18 in jejunal and ileal FAE were very similar to the localization pattern of M cel
In mice, peripheral 5-HT induces an increase in the plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin and bile acids, and a decrease in plasma triglyceride, NEFA and cholesterol concentrations. However, given the unique characteristics of the metabolism of ruminants relative to monogastric animals, the physiological role of peripheral 5-HT on glucose and lipid metabolism in sheep remains to be established. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of 5-HT on the circulating concentrations of
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