| Project/Area Number |
09480190
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Molecular biology
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| Research Institution | National Institute of Genetics |
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Principal Investigator |
KATSURA Isao National Institute of Genetics, Structural Biology Center, Professor, 構造遺伝学研究センター, 教授 (00107690)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
ISHIRARA Takeshi National Institute of Genetics, Structural Biology Center, Assistant Professor, 構造遺伝学研究センター, 助手 (10249948)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1997 – 1999
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 1999)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥12,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥12,800,000)
Fiscal Year 1999: ¥3,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥3,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000)
Fiscal Year 1997: ¥5,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,700,000)
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| Keywords | behavior / molecular biology / C. elegans / chemtaxis / associative learning / adaptation / mutants / sensory cilia / 線虫 / C.elegans / 神経機能 / 行動異常 / T-box / WD40 / 感覚受容 / イオンチャネル / グルタミン酸受容体 |
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| Research Abstract |
We studied the genetic basis of behavior by molecular biological methods, using the nematode C. elegans. (a) The class 1 flr genes, which are related to resistance to fluoride ion, growth rates, defecation cycle periods and the processing of sensory signals, encode an ion channel, a protein kinase and a kinase-like molecule. In this study we showed that they constitute a regulatory system that acts in the intestine and that regulates many food-related functions. The flr-2 gene, which is located in the downstream of the regulatory system, encoded a secretary protein expressed in certain neurons. (b) The sdf-13 gene, which is identified by synthetic dauer-constitutive mutations, encoded a transcriptional factor homologous to the mammalian Tbx2 and was required for the adaptation of chemotaxis to certain odorants. (c) The gene for the ut236 mutation, which confers preference of copper ion over chemotaxis to odorants, encoded a secretory protein having an LDLa domain and was required for normal associative learning. The ut235 mutant had abnormality in the response in which starvation desensitizes the avoidance of copper ion. (d) The che-2 gene, which is required for the extension of sensory cilia, encoded a novel protein that has WD40 repeats and that is localized at cilia. Using the che-2 clone, we succeeded in restoring the che-2 function in a subset of sensory neurons or at any stage of development in che-2 mutants. This experiment revealed a dynamic nature of sensory cilia. All these studies demonstrated that behavior can be analyzed at molecular and cellular levels by molecular biological methods and that such studies lead to new discoveries.
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