Budget Amount *help |
¥1,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2001: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2000: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
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Research Abstract |
Magnocellular neurons located in the supraoptic nucleus send their principal axons to terminate in the neurohypophysis, where they release vasopressin and oxytocin into the blood circulation. This magnocellular hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system is known to undergo dehydration and lactation. This structural plasticity is accompanied not only by synaptic remodling, increased direct neuronal membrane apposition, and dendritic bundling in the supraoptic and paraventricular nucleus, but also oraganization of neurovascular contacts in the neurohypophysis. Many molecules that are possibly concerned with dynamic structural remodeling are highly expressed in the hypothalamoneurohypophysial system, although they are generally at low expression levels in other regions of adult brains. Interestingly, some of them are highly expressed only in embryonic brains. On the basis of functions, these molecules are classified mainly into two categories. Cytoskeletal proteins, such as tubulin, microtubule-associated proteins (MAP2d) are responsible for changing both glial and neuronal morphology and location. Cell adhesion molecules, belonginh to immunoglobulin superfamily proteins (Kilon, OBCAM, Thy-1, F3) and extracellular matrix proteins (Phosphacan), also participate in neuronal-glial, neuronal-neuronal, and glial-glial recognition and guidance.
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