| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000)
Fiscal Year 1989: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
Fiscal Year 1988: ¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000)
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| Research Abstract |
There are so many unknown functional molecules to be discovered in the nervous system. These molecules are related to various phenomena underlying, brain functions, such as the formation of synapse, the differentiation of nervous cells, the release of neurotransmitters, and so on. At present , we know little about of the molecular mechanisms of these phenomena. Therefore, we have a lot of molecules to be explored, most of which are localized on and/or around the nerve cell membrane.
Looking back the history of neurobiolocy, it has been revealed that specific neurotoxins are useful which bind the functional molecule and block the function specifically. Such a specific ligand has been inevitable tool for purification of unknown membrane molecules.
Some monoclonal antibodies directed to an antisen molecule can block or chaticle a specific function of the antigen. Such antibodies as neltrotoxins, are useful tools to explore unknown functional molecules in the nervous system. Therefore, we have developed a "two-step screening, method" to obtain monoclonal antibodies whose antigens are located on the cell surface which are involved in various synaptic functions. From a library of monoclonal, antibodies against cell surface antigens of PC-12 cells, we screened out a monoclonal antibody which inhibited synaptic transmission in rat superior cervical ganglion. The antigen molecule seems to be located on the presynaptic membrane and to be involved in or affect the transmitter release. Similar antibodies can be produced in auto-immune disease patients and may cause various neurological disorders, for example, Lambert- Eaton myasthenic syndromes. A library of monoclonal antibodies which we obtained would be useful in search for such neurological disorders.
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