2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Production of neural progenitors in the subventricular zone, and its regulations among species and brain area
Project/Area Number |
16K07037
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
Section | 一般 |
Research Field |
Nerve anatomy/Neuropathology
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Research Institution | Institute for Developmental Research Aichi Developmental Disability Center |
Principal Investigator |
Tabata Hidenori 愛知県医療療育総合センター発達障害研究所, 分子病態研究部, 室長 (80301761)
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Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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Keywords | 神経細胞移動 / 神経回路形成 / 神経発生 / 大脳皮質 / 神経幹細胞 |
Outline of Final Research Achievements |
In the mammalian cerebral cortex, neurons are generated in the ventricular zone and subventricular zone (SVZ). One of the most striking features of fetal human brain is enlargement of SVZ, in which there are special neural progenitors called basal radial glia (bRG) and they are thought to contribute to produce enormous productions of cortical neurons and to acquire the huge brain. In this study, we have identified a gene, JA1, as a potential regulator of bRG production. We clarified (1) JA1 is a positive regulator of bRG production, (2) JA1 is expressed in the bRG itself, (3) and the transcription activity of human regulatory region of JA1 is higher than that of mouse. We identified the responsible region for this difference between human and mouse in intron #1~2. Given the amino acid sequences of JA1 are highly conserved among mammalians, the evolution of regulatory region is thought to be a key to acquire the huge brain in human.
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Free Research Field |
神経発生学
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Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
本研究課題では、ヒトの高度な精神活動の基盤となる巨大脳がいかに進化的に獲得されたかを探索した。先行研究では進化的にヒトで新たに獲得された遺伝子の関与が示唆されたが、本研究ではアミノ酸をコードしない転写調節領域の進化の重要性を解明した点でユニークである。また、本研究で注目したJA1転写調節領域にはヒトの小頭症原因遺伝子の結合配列があり、今後、神経発達障害の病態理解への貢献が期待される。
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