Development and application of a toolkit to visualize/manipulate neural activity using E-SARE and next-generation GECIs

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19442
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neuroscience and related fields
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: BITO Haruhiko 東京大学, 大学院医学系研究科(医学部), 教授 (00291964)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 神経科学 / 脳・神経 / シグナル伝達 / 神経活動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We constructed an experimental system that simultaneously expresses multi-color next-generation GECI probes in a cell type-specific manner, through creating novel blue GECI (XCaMP-B) and yellow GECI (XCaMP-Y). We then defined conditions to co-express and co-measure multi-color GECIs in vivo, and succeeded in recording neuronal activity in synaptic pre- and postsynaptic pairs. Furthermore, based on the principle of the synthetic activity-responsive promoter E-SARE, we created a transgenic mouse line in which long-term memory manipulation experiments could be performed in a genetically tagged memory trace network.

Free Research Field

神経生化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

分子生物学・生化学・解剖学・生理学・神経細胞生物学等の手法を結集して、長期記憶の想起を制御する神経細胞ネットワークを同定し、個々の細胞活動をin vivo脳で計測・操作することは、脳神経科学の大きなチャレンジのひとつである。本研究により、従来のシナプス可塑性シグナル解析と遺伝子改変動物の行動学的長期記憶解析との間の大きな溝を埋め、覚醒非拘束動物において記憶想起に必要かつ十分な細胞集団の神経活動動態計測が実現する端緒となる成果が得られた。