Artificial manipulation of the activity of fish neurons that regulate behavior

• Project/Area Number: 16K14981
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Aquatic life science
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: OKUBO Kataaki 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 准教授 (10370131)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,770,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥870,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥2,470,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥570,000)
• Keywords: 水産学 / 生理学 / 脳・神経

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed at generating a medaka strain whose mating behavior can be promoted or suppressed as we like at any time, by expressing designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) in the specific neurons that regulate mating behavior. Although we could not achieve this goal within the period of this study, we have identified a gene whose promoter/enhancer can be used to drive the expression of DREADD in the target neurons and we are establishing the technology to introduce the DREADD-containing DNA constructs into medaka. Further studies will allow us to generate the medaka strain which this study aimed to generate.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

目標として掲げた「繁殖行動を任意のタイミングで人為的に操作できるメダカ系統の作出」を、本研究の期間内に達成することはできなかったが、近い将来、それが可能となれば、魚類の神経行動学に飛躍的な発展が見込まれる。また将来的には、水産増養殖や水産資源管理に大きく貢献する技術にもなり得ると考えられる。例えば、遺伝子改変を伴わない非侵襲的な方法（非ウイルスベクターを用いたドラッグデリバリーシステムなど）で人工受容体を標的のニューロンに一過性に導入することで、養殖魚の繁殖行動を任意のタイミングで操作することも可能になると期待される。