Molecular genetics of the development of higher-order brain structures in Drosophila

2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20570196
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: FURUKUBO Katsuo (徳永 克男) University of Tsukuba, 大学院・生命環境科学研究科, 教授 (00272154)
• Project Period (FY): 2008 – 2010
• Keywords: 神経発生 / 脳 / ショウジョウバエ / 学習・記憶 / 遺伝子 / キノコ体 / 触角葉 / ホメオドメイン

Research Abstract

The development of brain is a multiple processes consisting of neurogenesis, axon guidance, and the formation of neural layers. Although the Drosophila brain is much simpler than the human brain, its development is under the control of a conserved genetic program that is in common with the development of the vertebrate brain. In this study, we have performed molecular genetic analysis of the development of higher order brain structures, focusing on the mushroom body and the antennal lobe, prominent neural structures in Drosophila. Our study has disclosed novel control mechanisms of axodendritic development that include homeodomain transcription factors and intracellular transport regulators.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Unc-51/ATG1 Controls Axonal and Dendritic Development via Kinesin-Mediated Vesicle Transport in the Drosophila Brain (2011)
  • Author(s): Mochizuki H., Toda H., Ando M., Tomoda H., Furukubo-Tokunaga, K.
  • Journal Title: PloS ONE 6 Pages: e19632
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Distinctive neuronal networks and biochemical pathways for appetitive and aversive memory in Drosophila larvae (2009)
  • Author(s): Honjo K., Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Journal Title: J.Neurosci. 29 Pages: 852-862
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Unc-51 controls active zone density and protein composition by downregulating ERK signaling (2009)
  • Author(s): Wairkar Y., Toda H., Mochizuki H., Furukubo-Tokunaga K., Tomoda T., DiAntonio A.
  • Journal Title: J.Neurosci. 29 Pages: 517-528
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] A conserved nuclear receptor, Tailless, is required for efficient proliferation and prolonged maintenance of mushroom body progenitors in the Drosophila brain (2009)
  • Author(s): Kurusu M., Maruyama Y., Adachi Y., Okabe M., Suzuki E., Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Journal Title: Dev.Biol. 326 Pages: 224-236
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Modeling schizophrenia in flies (2009)
  • Author(s): Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Journal Title: Prog.Brain Res.(Elsevier) 179 Pages: 107-115
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Brain patterning defects caused by mutations of the twin of eyeless gene in Drosophila melanogaster (2009)
  • Author(s): Furukubo-Tokunaga K. Adachi Y., Kurusu M., Walldorf U.
  • Journal Title: Fly 3 Pages: 263-269
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Nuclear DISC1 regulates CRE-mediated gene transcription and sleep homeostasis in the fruit fly (2008)
  • Author(s): Sawamura N., Ando T., Maruyama Y., Fujimuro M., Mochizuki H., Honjo K., Shimoda M., Toda H., Sawamura-Yamamoto T., Makuch L. A., Hayashi A., Ishizuka K., Cascella N.G., Kamiya A., Ishida N., Tomoda T., Hai T., Furukubo-Tokunaga K., Sawa A.
  • Journal Title: Mol.Psychiatry(Nature Publishing) 13 Pages: 1138-1148
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster : a promising model to explore molecular psychiatry (2008)
  • Author(s): Sawamura N., Ishida N., Tomoda T., Hai T., Furukubo-Tokunaga K., Sawa A.
  • Journal Title: Mol.Psychiatry(Nature Publishing) 13 Pages: 1138-1148
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] UNC-51/ATG1 Kinase Regulates Axonal Transport By Mediating Motor?Cargo Assembly (2008)
  • Author(s): Toda H., Mochizuki H., Flores III, R., Josowitz R., Krasieva T.B., LaMorte V.J., Suzuki E., Gindhart J.G., Furukubo-Tokunaga K., Tomoda T.
  • Journal Title: Genes Dev. 22 Pages: 3292-3307
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] ショウジョウバエ嗅覚連合学習における神経回路基盤 (2008)
  • Author(s): 本庄賢,古久保-徳永克男
  • Journal Title: 実験医学 26(12) Pages: 93-101
• [Presentation] Expression of DISC1 impairs associative learning and axonal development in Drosophila (2010)
  • Author(s): Ando M., Takayama K., Ando T., Honjo K., Mochizuki H., Kamiya A., Sawa A., Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: Society for Neuroscience 40th Annual Meeting
  • Place of Presentation: San Diego, U.S.A.
  • Year and Date: 2010-11-16
• [Presentation] Direct expression of DISC1 alters sleep homeostasis and impairs associative learning and axonal branching in Drosophila (2010)
  • Author(s): Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: John McIntyre Conference "DISC1 2010"
  • Place of Presentation: University of Edinburgh, U.K.
  • Year and Date: 2010-09-04
• [Presentation] UNC-51/ATG1 controls dendritic and axonal development via kinesin-mediated transport in the Drosophila brain (2010)
  • Author(s): Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: Bangalore Maggot Meeting : Neural Circuits to Behavior
  • Place of Presentation: Bangalore, India
  • Year and Date: 2010-07-26
• [Presentation] Modeling Schizophrenia in Flies : Direct Expression of a Schizophrenia Susceptibility Gene, DISC1, Impairs Arousal and Associative Learning in Drosophila (2009)
  • Author(s): Ando T., Kondoh K., Honjo K., Mochizuki H., Ando M., Horigane S., Takayama K., Maruyama Y., Shimoda M., Kamiya A., Ishida N., Tomoda T., Saitoe M., Sawa A., Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: Cold Spring Harbor Meeting "Neurobiology of Drosophila"
  • Place of Presentation: Cold Spring Harbor, New York, U.S.A.
  • Year and Date: 2009-10-03
• [Presentation] Unc-51/Atg1 Kinase Regulates Kinesin-1 Dependent Axonal Transport and Polarized Axonal Targeting of Diverse Neural Molecules in Drosophila (2009)
  • Author(s): Mochizuki H., Toda H., Tomoda T., Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: Cold Spring Harbor Meeting "Neurobiology of Drosophila"
  • Place of Presentation: Cold Spring Harbor, New York, U.S.A.
  • Year and Date: 2009-10-02
• [Presentation] Sweet and bitter memory in fruitfly larvae (2009)
  • Author(s): Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: Biozentrum Symposium "Molecular Mechanisms in Development and Evolution"
  • Place of Presentation: University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • Year and Date: 2009-08-03
• [Presentation] Distinctive neural networks and biochemical pathways in appetitive and aversive memory in Drosophila larvae (2008)
  • Author(s): Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Farm Conference "Learning and Memory: a Synthesis of Flies and Honeybees"
  • Place of Presentation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Farm, Ashburn, USA.
  • Year and Date: 2008-11-10
• [Presentation] Differential induction of short-term and medium-term memories by appetitive and aversive reinforcement in Drosophila larvae (2008)
  • Author(s): Honjo K., Tanaka A., Furukubo- Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: 49th Annual Drosophila Research Conference
  • Place of Presentation: San Diego, U.S.A.
  • Year and Date: 2008-11-10
• [Presentation] Distinctive neuronal networks and biochemical pathways in appetitive and aversive memory in Drosophila larvae (2008)
  • Author(s): Honjo K., Tanaka A., Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: The 31st Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society, Tokyo International Forum
  • Place of Presentation: Tokyo
  • Year and Date: 2008-07-10
• [Presentation] UNC-51 regulates axonal/dendritic patterning and polarized protein trafficking in Drosophila (2008)
  • Author(s): Mochizuki H., Toda H., Tomoda T., Furukubo-Tokunaga K.
  • Organizer: The 31st Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society, Tokyo International Forum
  • Place of Presentation: Tokyo
  • Year and Date: 2008-07-10
• [Book] The Memory Mechanisms(Development of memory centers in the Drosophila brain) (2011)
  • Author(s): Furukubo-Tokunaga K., Hirth F.
  • Publisher: World Scientific(in press)
• [Remarks] ホームページ
  • URL: http://www.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp/~tokunaga/welcome.html