| Budget Amount *help |
¥5,330,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,230,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Astrocytes are the most abundant cell type in the mammalian brain and are important for the functions of the central nervous system. Although it is known that astrocytes arise from neural precursor cells (NPCs), the molecular mechanisms of astrocyte differentiation are still poorly understood. Here, I show that HMGN family proteins promote astrocyte differentiation of NPCs during brain development. HMGN proteins were expressed in NPCs, Sox9+ glial progenitors and GFAP+ astrocytes in perinatal and adult brains. Forced expression of HMGN family proteins in NPCs in cultures or in the late embryonic neocortex increased the generation of astrocytes. Conversely, knockdown of HMGN family proteins in NPCs suppressed astrocyte differentiation. These results suggest that HMGN family proteins are novel chromatin regulatory factors that promote astrocyte differentiation.
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