| Project/Area Number |
16370096
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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 |
Developmental biology
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| Research Institution | Kumamoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
SHIMAMURA Kenji Kumamoto University, Inst. of Molecular Embryology and Genestics, Professor, 発生医学研究センター, 教授 (70301140)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
YOSHIDA Michio Kumamoto University, Inst. of Molecular Embryology and Genestics, Assistant Professor, 発生医学研究センター, 助手 (80305002)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2005
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2005)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥15,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥15,600,000)
Fiscal Year 2005: ¥7,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,500,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥8,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥8,100,000)
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| Keywords | brain development / pattern formation / regionalization / cell lineage / neural stem cell / forebrain / telencephalon / thalamus |
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| Research Abstract |
The aim of this research project was to deepen our understanding of cellular and molecular processes involved in the regional specification and histogenesis of the vertebrate forebrain. In this period of support, we made some progresses on 1) nucleus formation of the thalamus, 2) early subdivision of the telencephalic primordium, 3) cell lineage analysis of the anterior neural plate, and 4) role of the adherens junction in differentiation of the neuroepithelia. We found that the directed migration of pre-specified neurons is a possible mechanism that could convert a simple two-dimensional organization of the thalamic rudiment into the three-dimensionally complicated nuclear structure. However, chick and mouse appear to utilize different strategies for this process, suggesting that behavioral change in neurons may contribute to generation of the histological diversity of thalamus among the vertebrate species. Next, we found that Wnt signaling plays a prior role for early pallial/subpallial subdivisions of the telencephalon to hedgehog signaling, thereby strictly defining the proportion of these territories. Although we tried to identify the actual Wnt ligand by using shRNA, it was not successful so far. We also pushed it forward generating Six3 Cre-ER knock-in mouse line as a tool to analyze cell lineages of different parts of the anterior neural plate over time. We found that the disruption of the adherens junction by anti-N-cadherin treatment resulted in precautious neuronal differentiation in the neural tube. Our experimental results suggest that Notch and its ligand interaction is most likely to take place in the vicinity of the junctional structure. We will continue to investigate its precise role in the maintenance of the neural progenitor cells in the context of the regionally distinct histogenesis of the forebrain.
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