Analysis of vitamin B1 sensing mechanism in the hypothalamus

• Project/Area Number: 18K19765
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 59:Sports sciences, physical education, health sciences, and related fields
• Research Institution: National Institute for Physiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Nakajima Ken-ichiro 生理学研究所, 生体機能調節研究領域, 准教授 (70554492)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2020-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
• Budget Amount: ¥6,240,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,440,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000)
• Keywords: brain / vitamin B1 / Vitamin B1 / Brain / hypothalamus / 微量必須栄養素 / 視床下部 / vitamin

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Among various food factors, it has been unclear whether the brain sense vitamins to maintain their homeostasis. To investigate a role of the central nervous system in modulating vitamin levels, we looked for key neurons sensing vitamin B1 that play a key role in energy metabolism. We found that the activity in some parts of feeding-related brain area correlate with vitamin B1 levels.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

脳内に糖・脂肪酸・アミノ酸を感知する仕組みがあるのに対し、ビタミンB群・Cなどの水溶性ビタミンを感知する仕組みがあるのか、またあるとすれば、どのような仕組みなのかは、あまり調べられてこなかった。これは、これら成分の生体機能性が100年以上にもわたる疫学・栄養学研究から明らかにされてきたこととは非常に対照的である。ビタミンB1の様々な健康作用がすでに知られていることを考えると、本研究のように脳内のビタミン受容機構の存在を調べることで、その実際の作用機序を解明できると考えられる。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] SatB2-expressing neurons in the parabrachial nucleus encode sweet taste. (2019)
  • Author(s): Fu O, Iwai Y, Kondoh K, Misaka T, Minokoshi Y, Nakajima KI
  • Journal Title: Cell Reports Volume: 27 Issue: 6 Pages: 1650-1656
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.04.040
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Hypothalamic Neuronal Circuits Regulating Hunger-Induced Taste Modification (2019)
  • Author(s): Fu O, Iwai Y, Narukawa M, Ishikawa AW, Ishii KK, Murata K, Yoshimura Y, Touhara K, Misaka T, Minokoshi Y, Nakajima KI.
  • Journal Title: Nature Communications Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 4560-4560
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12478-x
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] The Central Mechanism of Feeding Regulation: Food Science Goes to the Brain (2018)
  • Author(s): 中島 健一朗
  • Journal Title: KAGAKU TO SEIBUTSU Volume: 56 Issue: 4 Pages: 255-261
  • DOI: 10.1271/kagakutoseibutsu.56.255
  • NAID: 130007617696
  • ISSN: 0453-073X, 1883-6852
  • Year and Date: 2018-03-20
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] Hypothalamic neuronal circuits regulating hunger-induced taste modification (2020)
  • Author(s): Ken-ichiro Nakajima
  • Organizer: 1st CU-KU Symposium 2020 and 4th CU-NIPS Symposium 2020: “Advances in Neuroscience Research
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] 「空腹は最高の調味料」－その神経基盤の解明 (2020)
  • Author(s): 中島 健一朗、傅 欧、岩井 優、成川 真隆、三坂 巧、箕越 靖彦
  • Organizer: 日本農芸化学会2020年度大会
• [Presentation] SatB2-expressing neurons in the parabrachial nucleus encodes sweet taste (2019)
  • Author(s): Ken-ichiro Nakajima, Ou Fu, Yuu Iwai, Kunio Kondoh, Takumi Misaka, Yasuhiko Minokoshi
  • Organizer: Neuro2019
• [Presentation] 視床下部摂食促進神経を起点とした生理状態依存的な味覚調節機構の解析 (2019)
  • Author(s): 中島 健一朗、傅 欧、成川 真隆、三坂 巧、箕越 靖彦
  • Organizer: 日本動物学会第90回大阪大会
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Genetic identification of sweet taste neurons in the mouse brainstem (2019)
  • Author(s): Nakajima K, Fu O, Iwai Y, Kondoh K, Misaka T, and Minokoshi Y
  • Organizer: The 48th NAITO CONFERENCE ON Integrated Sensory Sciences; Pain, Itch, Smell and Taste
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 脳幹で甘味を伝達する神経の特定 (2019)
  • Author(s): 中島 健一朗、傅 欧、岩井 優、近藤 邦生、箕越 靖彦、三坂 巧
  • Organizer: 2019年度日本農芸化学会大会