Animal Facility

Leader :
Kazuhiro Shigemoto, M.D., Ph.D. Vice-director
Associate Researcher :
Yoshihiro Noda
Adjunct Researcher :
Taeko Miyauchi-Nemoto

Laboratory Animals, Aged Mice and Rats, Infection control

Animal facility is located on the 5th floor of the institute. The facility is divided into Clean Area and Semi-clean Area. The former are composed of 4 mouse rooms, 1 rat room, 4 common laboratories, 6 laboratories, 2 operation rooms, and 3 embryo manipulating-related rooms. The latter comprises 1 quarantine room, 1 operation room, 1 rabbit room, 1 examination room, and 1 cage washing room.
Mice and rats are bred in IVC (Individually Ventilated Caging) system racks to protect from infectious diseases. In most of the animal rooms, genetically modified mice are kept. For example, about 80 transgenic mouse strains are maintained in the facility. Some part of the animal rooms is functioning as an aging colony of mice and rats. It is very important to supply aged animals for research on gerontology and geriatric medicine.
The facility maximally accommodates 21,650 mice (4,330 cages), 840 rats (280 cages), and 9 rabbits (9 cages). The facility business is managed by collaboration of animal facility members, entrusted animal caring company staff, and entrusted air-conditioning managing company staff.

1. 1. Akiko Amano, Yoshitaka Kondo, Yoshihiro Noda, Mitsuhiro Ohta, Noriaki Kawanishi, Shuichi Machida, Kazuteru Mitsuhashi, Takafumi Senmaru, Michiaki Fukui, Osamu Takaoka, Taisuke Mori, Jo Kitawaki, Masafumi Ono, Toshiji Saibara, Hiroshi Obayashi, and Akihito Ishigami. Abnormal lipid/lipoprotein metabolism and high plasma testosterone levels in male but not female aromatase-knockout mice. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2017 May 15;622:47-58.
2. 2. Ayumi Hasegawa, Keiji Mochida, Hiroki Inoue, Yoshihiro Noda, Tamao Endo, Atsuo Ogura. High-Yield Superovulation in Adult Mice by Anti-Inhibin Serum Treatment Combined with Estrous Cycle Synchronization. Biol. Reprod. 94(1):21, 1-8, 2015
3. 3. Kumiko Nakata, Naoki Yamashita, Yoshihiro Noda and Ikuroh Ohsawa. Stimulation of human damaged sperm motility with hydrogen molecule. Med Gas Res. 5(1):2, 2015.
4. 4. Naotaka Izuo, Hidetoshi Nojiri, Satoshi Uchiyama, Yoshihiro Noda, Satoru Kawakami, Shuji Kojima, Toru Sasaki, Takuji Shirasawa and Takahiko Shimizu. Brain-specific superoxide dismutase 2 deficiency causes perinatal death with spongiform encephalopathy in mice. Oxid. Med. Cell. Longev. Volume 2015,Article ID 238914, 10 pages, 2015
5. 5. Kazuhide Takahashi, Yoshihiro Noda, Ikuroh Ohsawa, Takuji Shirasawa, Mayumi Takahashi. Extended lifespan, reduced body size and leg skeletal muscle mass, and decreased mitochondrial function in clk-1 transgenic mice. Exp Gerontol. 58:146-53, 2014.
6. 6. Yoshitaka Kondo, Hirofumi Masutomi, Yoshihiro Noda, Yusuke Ozawa, Keita Takahashi, Setsuko Handa, Naoki Maruyama, Takahiko Shimizu and Akihito Ishigami. Senescence marker protein-30/Superoxide dismutase 1 double knockout mice exhibit increased oxidative stress and hepatic steatosis. FEBS Open Bio 4:522-32, 2014
7. 7. Sayaka Kurokawa, Shinichi Niwano, Hiroe Niwano, Masami Murakami, Shoko Ishikawa, Yoshihiko Masaki, Hideaki Tamaki, Toshihiko Toda, Yoshihiro Noda, Takahiko Shimizu, Tohru Izumi, Junya Ako. Cardiomyocyte-derived Mitochondrial Superoxide Causes Myocardial Electrical Remodeling by Down-regulating Potassium Channels and Related Molecules. Circ J. 78(8):1950-9. 2014.
8. 8. Yoshihiro Noda, Kuniaki Ota, Takuji Shirasawa, Takahiko Shimizu. Copper/Zinc Superoxide Dismutase Insufficiency Impairs Progesterone Secretion and Fertility in Female Mice. Biol. Reprod. 86(1): 1-8, 2012