Analysis of fear response behavior induced by photoactivation of single glomerular species.

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K14566
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Nerve anatomy/Neuropathology
• Research Institution: University of Fukui
• Principal Investigator: Saito Harumi 福井大学, 学術研究院医学系部門, 学術研究員 (20311342)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: オプトジェネテイックス / 単一の嗅覚受容体 / 嗅皮質 / 情動行動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sensing of odorants is one of the most important sensory functions for animals to make behavioral decisions. We have made a mouse model system that can specifically elicit immobility responses behavior by the activation of single glomerular spicies in main olfactory system.
I have isolated a single olfactory receptor (ORTMT) that is specifically activated by the predator odor 2,4,5-dehydro-2,5 trimethylthiazoline (TMT) and generated ORTMT gene knock-out (KO) mice and knock-in channelrhodopsin (KI) mice which expressing in a pair of glomeruli that express an ORTMT and performed the loss / gain of function. The data indicated that the activation of ORTMT induced specifically a freezing but not aversive behavior. I assumed that this model mouse system targeting a single type of OR is useful to study the neural network and plan to proceed the study in the higher brain region.
Furthermore I set up the experiment system for loss of function of olfactory cortex.

Free Research Field

神経科学