2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
The mechanism underlying detection of seasons by the brain
| Project/Area Number |
17K07487
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Animal physiology/Animal behavior
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| Research Institution | Osaka University (2017, 2019)
Osaka City University (2018) |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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| Keywords | 光周性 / 軟体動物 / Caudo-dorsal cell / Canopy cell / 細胞内電位記録 / 免疫組織化学 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
The pond snail, Lymnaea stagnails shows clear photoperiodism in egg-laying behavior; egg laying is promoted in the long-day conditions while it is severely inhibited in the short-day conditions. The egg-laying behavior is controlled by the secretion of egg-laying hormone (caudo-dorsal cell hormone, CDCH) that is produced by CDC neurons in the cerebral ganglia. According to electrophysiological analyses, I found that the excitability of CDC is higher in the long-day conditions than in the short-day conditions. Thus, the snail seems to perform seasonal reproduction via photoperiod-dependent switching of CDC’s excitability.
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| Free Research Field |
神経生物学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
光周期（季節）の情報は脳にある光周時計で処理されるが, 無脊椎動物の光周時計の正体やその機能原理は未だ不明である。本研究により, ヨーロッパモノアラガイの産卵調節に関わるCDCニューロンが光周時計の制御下にあることが明らかとなった。今後, CDCニューロンに入力する前ニューロンを探索することで光周時計の神経機構の一端が明らかになると考えられる。季節という長い時間軸を持った情報が脳内でどのように処理されるのか？本研究は, 地球環境への生物の適応機構を実験生物学的に明らかにしようとする試みであり, 若者の生物学への憧れを誘起するという社会的意義もある。
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