Is sex chromosome-dependent brain sexual differentiation affected by environmental factors?

• Project/Area Number: 15K08223
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental physiology(including physical medicine and nutritional physiology)
• Research Institution: National Institute for Environmental Studies
• Principal Investigator: Maekawa Fumihiko 国立研究開発法人国立環境研究所, 環境リスク・健康研究センター, 主任研究員 (40382866)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): HAMAZAKI Hiroko 北里大学, 一般教育部, 教授 (00211483) ; SANO Kazuhiro 国立研究開発法人 環境リスク, 健康研究センター, 特別研究員 (60736081) ; KAWASHIMA Takaharu 国立研究開発法人 環境リスク, 健康研究センター, 主任研究員 (90360362)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
• Keywords: 性分化 / 性ステロイドホルモン / 脳 / 内分泌かく乱物質 / 環境因子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The endocrinological and behavioral sex differences have been known to be predominantly dependent on brain sexual differentiation. Both the developmental exposure to sex steriods and brain chromosomal sex are thought to contribute to such brain sexual differentiation, but the precise mechanism how these factors are related to brain sexual differentiation has not fully understood. In this study, to clarify the interaction between these factors, we examined the expression of genes showing the difference between sexes in avian diencephalon. We could find specific genes that were controlled by the exposure to sex steriods and such genes were located both on the sex chromosomes and/or autosomes. From these results, we could establish the list of genes showing the variability of expressions to environmental factors.

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] University of Denver(米国)
• [Int'l Joint Research] Beni-Suef University, Egypt(Walaa Ahmed)
• [Journal Article] Analyzing the effects of co-expression of chick ( Gallus gallus ) melanocortin receptors with either chick MRAP1 or MRAP2 in CHO cells on sensitivity to ACTH(1?24) or ACTH(1?13)NH 2 : Implications for the avian HPA axis and avian melanocortin circuits in the hypothalamus (2018)
  • Author(s): Thomas Alexa L.、Maekawa Fumihiko、Kawashima Takaharu、Sakamoto Hirotaka、Sakamoto Tatsuya、Davis Perry、Dores Robert M.
  • Journal Title: General and Comparative Endocrinology Volume: 256 Pages: 50-56
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.09.002
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Strain differences in intermale aggression and possible factors regulating increased aggression in Japanese quail. (2018)
  • Author(s): Maekawa F, Nagino K, Yang J, Htike NTT, Tsukahara S, Ubuka T, Tsutsui K, Kawashima T
  • Journal Title: General and Comparative Endocrinology Volume: 256 Pages: 63-70
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.07.025
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] A comparative study of sex difference in calbindin neurons among mice, musk shrews, and Japanese quails. (2016)
  • Author(s): Moe, Y., Tanaka, T., Morishita, M., Ohata, R., Nakahara, C., Kawashima, T., Maekawa, F., Sakata, I., Sakai, T., Tsukahara, S.
  • Journal Title: Neuroscience Letters Volume: 631 Pages: 63-69
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.08.018
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] 環境化学物質が誘導する発達神経毒性の評価法開発 (2015)
  • Author(s): 前川文彦
  • Journal Title: 日仏生物学会誌 Volume: 54 Pages: 16-22
  • NAID: 40020875745
• [Presentation] Investigation of gene expressions related to aggression in quail diencephalon. (2018)
  • Author(s): Maekawa F.,Nagino K.,Yang J.,Htike N.T.T.,Tsukahara S.,Ubuka T.,Tsutsui K.,Kawashima T
  • Organizer: The 95th Annual Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan
• [Presentation] Experimental approaches toward understanding the association between early-life exposure to environmental chemicals and developmental disorders. (2017)
  • Author(s): Maekawa F.
  • Organizer: INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON AUTISM 2017: CELEBRATING BRIMS 10TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] 環境化学物質と心の発達：動物実験による発達神経毒性評価 (2017)
  • Author(s): 前川文彦 シンポジウム「発達障害と環境要因」要旨集S145.
  • Organizer: 第87回日本衛生学会学術総会
  • Place of Presentation: シーガイアリゾート（宮崎）
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Male aggressive and reproductive behaviors in long-term breeding closed colony NIES-L of Japanese quail. (2016)
  • Author(s): Nagino K.,Ubuka T.,Tsutsui K.,Maekawa F., Kawashima T.
  • Organizer: Avian Model Systems 9: A New Integrative Platform
  • Place of Presentation: 中央研究院（台北）
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-30
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Evaluation of potentially developmentally neurotoxic chemicals using behavioral testing and neuroendocrinological analysis. (2016)
  • Author(s): Maekawa F.,Sano K.,Suzuki G.,Nakayama S.,Isobe T.,Tin-Tin-Win-Shwe,Hashimoto S.,Kawashima T.
  • Organizer: The 93rd Annual Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan
  • Place of Presentation: 札幌コンベンションセンター（札幌）
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-23
  • Invited
• [Presentation] ウズラ2系統間の攻撃性の違いとその違いが生じるメカニズムの解析 (2016)
  • Author(s): 泙野航輝, 楊家欣, 産賀崇由, 筒井和義, 前川文彦, 川嶋貴治
  • Organizer: 第40回鳥類内分泌研究会
  • Place of Presentation: ホテルメルパルク松山（愛媛）
• [Presentation] Analysis of aggressive behavior in two Japanese quail strains and their gene expressions possibly related to aggression in the hypothalamus. (2016)
  • Author(s): Maekawa F., Nagino K., Yang J., Ubuka T., Tsutsui K., Kawashima T.
  • Organizer: 11th International Symposium on Avian Endocrinology
  • Place of Presentation: White Oak Resort and Conference centre (Canada)
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 高度近交化ウズラ（NIES-L系）の攻撃・繁殖行動の定量化 (2015)
  • Author(s): 泙野航輝,産賀祟由,筒井和義,前川文彦,川嶋貴治
  • Organizer: 日仏生物学会第183回例会
  • Place of Presentation: キャンパスプラザ京都（京都）
  • Year and Date: 2015-12-19