2009 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

LIM-homeobox transcription factors regulate neuronal dendritic morphogenesis in subtype-specific manner.

Research Project

Project/Area Number	19700313
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Neuroscience in general
Research Institution	The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
Principal Investigator	SUGA Akiko The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, 網膜再生医療研究チーム, 研究員 (70450400)
Project Period (FY)	2007 – 2009
Keywords	網膜 / 神経発生 / ニワトリ胚 / サブタイプ / 樹状突起形態 / 転写因子
Research Abstract	In nervous system, transcription factor expression in progenitor cells regulates cell type specification. However, whether or not these transcription factors regulate later developmental events remains an open question. We found that two LIM-homeodomain transcription factors, Lim1 and Islet1, are expressed in distinct subtype of retinal horizontal cells (Lim1 : type I, Islet1 : type II/III). Overexpression of Islet1 in post-migratory horizontal cells repressed endogenous Lim1 expression and increased the cells with type II cell specific morphology. Inhibition of Lim1 function perturbed axonal morphogenesis of type I horizontal cells. Our results suggest that LIM-homeodomain transcription factors are required for subtype-specific morphogenesis of horizontal cells at later stages of retinal development.