Division of Biological Resources and Development,
Analytical Research Center for Experimental Sciences, Saga University

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Research projects

• Development of genetically modified rabbits for human disease models
• Cryopreservation of rabbit sperm and embryo

　

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Research members

Teaching staff

Shuji Kitajima, DVM, PhD, Associate professor
Fumikazu Matsuhisa, DVM, PhD, Assistant professor

Technical staff

Shigenobu Takuma
Mayo Kawabata

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Recent publications

• Nishijima, K., Kitajima, S., Matsuhisa, F., Niimi, M., Wang, C-C., Fan, J.: Strategies for highly efficient rabbit sperm cryopreservation. Animals 11(5): 1220, 2021.
• Nishida, Y., Nishijima, K., Yamada, Y., Tanaka, H., Matsumoto, A., Fan, J., Uda, Y., Tomatsu, H., Yamamoto, H., Kami, K., Kitajima, S., and Tanaka, K.: Whole?body insulin resistance and energy expenditure indices, serum lipids, and skeletal muscle metabolome in a state of lipoprotein lipase overexpression. Metabolomics 17(3): 26, 2021.
• Matsuhisa, F., Kitajima, S., Nishijima, K., Akiyoshi, T., Morimoto, M., Fan, J.: Transgenic rabbit models: Now and the future. Appl. Sci. 10(21): 7416, 2020.
• Yan, H., Niimi, M., Kitajima, S., Zhou, H., Chen, Y., Wang, C., Matsuhisa, F., Yang, X., Yao, J., Yang, D., Zhang, J., Murakami, M., Nakajima, K., Wang, Y., Liu, E., Chen, Y. , Liang, J. and Fan J.: Apolipoprotein CIII deficiency protects against atherosclerosis in knock-out rabbits. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 40(9): 2095-2107, 2020.
• Chen, Y., Waqar, A.B., Nishijima, K., Ning, B., Kitajima, S., Matsuhisa, F., Chen, L., Liu, E., Zhang, J., Chen, Y.E., Liang, J., Fan, J.: Macrophage-derived MMP-9 enhances the vascular calcification and progression of atherosclerotic lesions in transgenic rabbits. J. Cell. Mol. Med. 24(7):4261-4274, 2020.
• Wang, C., Niimi, M., Kitajima, S., Matsuhisa, F., Yan, H., Dong, S., Liang, J., Fan, J.: Sex hormones affect endothelial lipase-mediated lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. Lipids in Health and Disease 18:226, 2019. (Dec 23, 2019, Open access, article number 226)
• Niimi, M., Nishijima, K., Kitajima, S., Matsuhisa, F., Satoh, K., Yamazaki, H., Zhang, J., Chen, Y.E., Fan, J.: Macrophage-derived matrix metalloproteinase-1 enhances aortic aneurysm formation in transgenic rabbits. J. Biomed. Res., 33 (4): 271-279, 2019.
• Wang, C., Nishijima, K., Kitajima, S., Niimi, M., Yan, H., Chen, Y., Ning, B., Matsuhisa, F., Liu, E., Zhang, J., Chen, Y. E., Fan. J.: Increased hepatic expression of endothelial lipase inhibits cholesterol diet?induced hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis in transgenic rabbits. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 37(7): 1282-1289, 2017.
• Niimi, M., Yang, D., Kitajima, S., Ning, B., Wang, C., Li, S., Liu, E., Zhang, J., Chen, Y.E., and Fan, J.: ApoE knockout rabbits: a novel model for the study of human hyperlipidemia. Atherosclerosis 245: 187-193, 2016.
• Nishijima, K., Kitajima, S., Koshimoto, C., Morimoto, M., Watanabe, T., Fan, J., Matsuda, Y.: Motility and fertility of rabbit sperm cryopreserved using soybean lecithin as an alternative to egg yolk. Theriogenology 84: 1172-1175, 2015.
• Fan, J., Kitajima, S., Watanabe, T., Xuc, J., Zhang, J., Enqi Liu, E., Chen, Y.E. : Rabbit models for the study of human atherosclerosis: From pathophysiological mechanisms to translational medicine. Pharmacology ; Therapeutics 146: 104-119, 2015.
• Nishijima, K., Tanaka, M., Sakai, Y., Koshimoto, C., Morimoto, M., Watanabe, T., Fan, J., Kitajima, S.: Effects of type III antifreeze protein on sperm and embryo cryopreservation in rabbit. Cryobiology 69: 22-25, 2014.
• Nishijima, K., Yamaguchi, S., Tanaka, M., Sakai, Y., Koshimoto, C., Morimoto, M., Watanabe, T., Fan, J., Kitajima, S.: Effects of cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrins on the rate and the quality of motility in frozen and thawed rabbit sperm. Exp. Anim. 63(2): 149-154, 2014.
• Nishijima, K., Liu, E., Yamaguchi, S., Tanaka, M., Morimoto, M., Watanabe, T., Fan, J. and Kitajima, S.: Delaying embryo development by storing at 4℃ for synchronization to recipients in microinjection technique in rabbits. Lab. Anim. 47: 53-57, 2013.
• Wang, Y., Niimi, M., Nishijima, K., Yu, Y., Koike, T., Kitajima, S., Inoue, T., Waqar, A.B., Liu, E., Kohashi, M., Keyamura, Y., Yoshigawa, T., Zhang, J., Ma, L., Zha, X., Watanabe, T., Asada, A., Y. Chen, E. and Fan, J.: Human apolipoprotein AII protects against diet-induced atherosclerosis in transgenic rabbits. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 33: 224-231, 2013.
• Maeda, T., Liu, E., Nishijima, K., Tanaka, M., Yamaguchi, S., Morimoto, M., Watanabe, T., Fan, J. and Kitajima, S.: Effect of the primary cooling rate on the motility and fertility of the frozen-thawed rabbit spermatozoa. World Rabbit Sci. 20: 65-70, 2012.
• Zhang, J., Ying Yu, Y., Nakamura, K., Tomonari Koike, T., Waqar, A. B., Zhang, X., Liu, E., Nishijima, K., Kitajima, S., Shiomi, M., Qi, Z., Yu, J., Graham, M. J., Crooke, R. M., Ishida, T., Hirata, K., Hurt-Camejo, E., Chen, Y. E., Fan, J.: Endothelial lipase mediates HDL levels in normal and hyperlipidemic rabbits. J. Atheros. Thromb. 19(3): 213-226, 2012.
• Matsuda, S., Yamashita, A., Sato, Y., Kitajima, S., Koike, T., Sugita, C., Moriguchi-Goto, S., Hatakeyama, K., Takahashi, M., Koshimoto, C., Matsuura, Y., Iwakiri, T., Chen, Y.E., Fan, J. and Asada. Y.: Human C-reactive protein enhances thrombus formation after neointimal balloon injury in transgenic rabbits. J. Thromb. Haemost. 9: 201-208, 2011.
• Kitajima, S., Morimoto, M., Liu, E., Watanabe, T. and Fan, J.: Age is an important factor influence on the number of recovered eggs in superovulated rabbits: Analysis of our past 5 years data of 509 rabbits superovulated by FSH or PMSG. Scand. J. Lab. Anim. Sci. 38(3):169-174, 2011.
• Koike,T., Kitajima, S., Yu, Y., Li, Y., Nishijima, K., Liu, E., Sun, H., Ahmed Bilal Waqar, A.B., Shibata, N., Inoue, T., Wang, Y., Zhang, B, Kobayashi, J, Morimoto, M., Saku, K., Watanabe, T., Fan, J.: Expression of human apoAII in transgenic rabbits leads to dyslipidemia: a new model for combined hyperlipidemia. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 29: 2047-2053, 2009.
• Koike, T., Kitajima, S., Yu, Y., Nishijima, K., Zhang, J., Ozaki, Y., Morimoto, M., Watanabe, T., Bhakdi, S., Asada, Y., Chen, Y.E., Fan, J.: Human C-reactive protein does not promote atherosclerosis in transgenic rabbits. Circulation 120: 2088-2094, 2009.

Previous papers (Japanese page)

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Division of Biological Resources and Development,
Analytical Research Center for Experimental Sciences, Saga University

5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, JAPAN
MAIL：anim-staff [at] ml.cc.saga-u.ac.jp　
　　　　　　
Last update 2022.12.12