| Project/Area Number |
16300097
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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 |
Neuroscience in general
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
NOSE Akinao The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science, Associate Professor, 大学院・理学系研究科, 助教授 (30260037)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TAKASU Etsuko The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science, Research Associate, 大学院・理学系研究科, 助手 (30282718)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2006
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2006)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥13,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2006: ¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2005: ¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥9,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥9,000,000)
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| Keywords | Drosophila / Axon Guidance / Target Recognition / Microarray / Synapse / Muscle / Neural Circuit / Motor Neuron / シナプス形成 / 神経筋結合 / 神経回路形成 / ジーンチップ |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
How synaptic specificity is molecularly coded in target cells is a long-standing question in neuroscience. Towards a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of synaptic specificity, we performed microarray analysis of two neighboring muscles in Drosophila, M12 and M13, which are innervated by distinct motor neurons. We identified a number of candidate target cues that are differentially expressed between these two muscles, including M13-enriched Wnt4, a secreted molecule of the Wnt family. In Wnt4 mutants, motor neurons that normally innervate M12 (MN12s) formed smaller synapses on M12 but. instead, formed ectopic nerve endings on M13. Furthermore, ectopic expression of Wnt4 in M12 inhibits synapse formation by MN12s. These results suggest that Wnt4 generates target specificity by preventing synapse formation on a non-target muscle. Ectopic expression of five other candidate cues expressed in M13, including Beat-IIIc, Glutactin and Sulfatasel, also inhibits synapse formation by MN12s. These results demonstrate an important role for local repulsion in generating cell-to-cell target specificity.
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