2021 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
| Project/Area Number |
19J20655
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| Research Institution | Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University |
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Principal Investigator |
Guzman Christine 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 科学技術研究科, 特別研究員(DC1)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-25 – 2022-03-31
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| Keywords | Nematostella / neurexins / synaptic protein / Cnidaria / basal Metazoa |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This project elucidated the role of Neurexins (Nrxns) in the early evolution of the nervous system. Nrxns are core presynaptic cell adhesion molecules with critical functions in the chemical synapse, but their origin and evolutionary history remain underexplored. I employed a multidisciplinary approach to give the first characterization of Nrxn-mediated neuronal signaling outside Bilateria. I showed that in Nematostella vectensis, a member of Cnidaria which is the closest outgroup to Bilateria, knocking down the neuronally expressed Nrxns resulted in abnormal behaviors involving muscle contraction. I demonstrated that the neural Nrxns in N. vectensis are required for the transmission of classical chemical transmitters (e.g., glutamate, glycine) but not for neuropeptide signaling.
Additionally, a non-neural function of N. vectensis Nrxns was that may explain how and why this family of proteins was employed in the synaptic machinery of the early nervous system. Functional analysis of the broadly expressed Nrxns in N. vectensis revealed their major role in heterologous cell-cell adhesion; in particular, in the maintenance of the junction between ectodermal and endodermal epithelial cells.
I have completed all the experiments by the end of FY2021. In FY2022 (April to October), I performed additional experiments for the manuscript that is being prepared for submission.
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| Research Progress Status |
令和3年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
令和3年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。
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[Journal Article] Mass spectrometry of short peptides reveals common features of metazoan peptidergic neurons2022
Author(s)
Eisuke Hayakawa, Christine Guzman, Osamu Horiguchi, Chihiro Kawano, Akira Shiraishi, Kurato Mohri, Mei-Fang Lin, Ryotaro Nakamura, Ryo Nakamura, Erina Kawai, Shinya Komoto, Kei Jokura, Kogiku Shiba, Shuji Shigenobu, Honoo Satake, Kazuo Inaba, and Hiroshi Watanabe
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Journal Title
Nature Ecology and Evolution
Volume: 6
Pages: 1438-1448
DOI
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