| Budget Amount *help |
¥5,330,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,230,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥2,990,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥690,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
In our previous study, the CS-56 antibody, which recognizes a chondroitin sulfate moiety, labeled a subset of adult brain astrocytes, yielding a patchy extracellular matrix pattern. To explore the molecular nature of CS-56-labeled glycoproteins, we purified glycoproteins of the adult mouse cerebral cortex using a combination of chromatographies. One of the purified proteins was identified as tenascin-R (TNR) by mass spectrometric analysis. When we compared TNR mRNA expression patterns with the distribution patterns of CS-56-positive cells, TNR mRNA was detected in CS-56-positive astrocytes. TNR knockdown by siRNA expression significantly reduced glutamate uptake in cultured astrocytes. Furthermore, expression of mRNA and protein of GLAST, which is a major component of astrocytic glutamate transporters, was reduced by TNR knockdown. Our results suggest that TNR is expressed in a subset of astrocytes and contributes to glutamate homeostasis by regulating astrocytic GLAST expression.
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