| Budget Amount *help |
¥25,740,000 (Direct Cost: ¥19,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥5,940,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥6,240,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,440,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥8,710,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,010,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥10,790,000 (Direct Cost: ¥8,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,490,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Astrocytes are not electrically excitable but display Ca2+ excitability. Ca2+ excitability in astrocytes has been extensively studied. However, in those studies, Ca2+ signals at soma have been mainly focused. Then, Ca2+ signals at astrocyte processes where astrocytes contact intimately with synapses remain largely unknown. The lack of method to measure Ca2+ at astrocyte processes, so-called “perisynapseglia”, hinder our understanding of Ca2+ signals in astrocytes and its physiological significance. Here, we introduced genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators specifically into astrocytes and found numerous Ca2+ signals in perisynapseglia both in vitro and in vivo. Upregulation of P2Y1 receptor, which is one of major GqPCRs, specifically into astrocytes caused large Ca2+ signals in entire astrocytic territories. These augmented Ca2+ signals in astrocytes may lead to neuronal hyper-excitability by increasing excitatory synaptic transmission and altering inhibitory synaptic transmission.
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