| Project/Area Number |
19J20655
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 国内 |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 44020:Developmental biology-related
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| Research Institution | Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University |
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Principal Investigator |
Guzman Christine 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 科学技術研究科, 特別研究員(DC1)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-25 – 2022-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
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| Keywords | Nematostella / neurexins / synaptic protein / Cnidaria / basal Metazoa / synapse / Neurexin / evolution / basal animals / protein interaction |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
This study attempts to reconstruct the structure and determine the core function of ancestral Neurexins using basal animals. Phylum-wide survey of Nrxn genes will be performed to obtain detailed insights into the evolutionary processes of synaptic structural protein complexes. Mass Spectrometry (XL-MS) will be conducted to identify binding partners of endogenous Nrxn proteins in non-neural Trichoplax and neuron/synapse-bearing basal metazoans (Nematostella, Bolinopsis). Synaptic and/or non-synaptic functions of ancestral Nrxns will be examined using various functional assays.
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This project elucidated the role of Neurexins (Nrxns) in the early evolution of the nervous system. Nrxns are core presynaptic cell adhesion molecules with critical functions in the chemical synapse, but their origin and evolutionary history remain underexplored. I employed a multidisciplinary approach to give the first characterization of Nrxn-mediated neuronal signaling outside Bilateria. I showed that in Nematostella vectensis, a member of Cnidaria which is the closest outgroup to Bilateria, knocking down the neuronally expressed Nrxns resulted in abnormal behaviors involving muscle contraction. I demonstrated that the neural Nrxns in N. vectensis are required for the transmission of classical chemical transmitters (e.g., glutamate, glycine) but not for neuropeptide signaling.
Additionally, a non-neural function of N. vectensis Nrxns was that may explain how and why this family of proteins was employed in the synaptic machinery of the early nervous system. Functional analysis of the broadly expressed Nrxns in N. vectensis revealed their major role in heterologous cell-cell adhesion; in particular, in the maintenance of the junction between ectodermal and endodermal epithelial cells.
I have completed all the experiments by the end of FY2021. In FY2022 (April to October), I performed additional experiments for the manuscript that is being prepared for submission.
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| Research Progress Status |
令和3年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
令和3年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。
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