The role of Unipolar brush cells in the cerebellar functions

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K15919
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 46020:Anatomy and histopathology of nervous system-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University (2021-2022); National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (2020)
• Principal Investigator: Miyashita Satoshi 新潟大学, 脳研究所, 助教 (30828900)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: Unipolar brush cells / 小脳 / 神経発生 / single cell RNAseq

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The cerebellum has been reported to be involved not only in motor functions but also in cognitive functions and sociability. In this study, we focused on unipolar brush cells (UBCs), which are excitatory neurons in the cerebellar cortex and whose functions are still largely unknown, in order to elucidate the physiological functions of UBCs. We have deciphered genes which specifically expressed in UBCs by using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) data obtained from the cerebellum. As a result, we identified novel UBC markers and discovered that UBCs can be further classified into several subtypes. We further confirmed that these specific markers are expressed in the cerebellum in vivo. Analyzing the neural circuit of UBC subtypes will shed light on the unknown cerebellar circuits which may contribute to the cognitive and/or social function of the cerebellum.

Free Research Field

神経発生学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

UBCsに関する研究は、小脳皮質に存在する他の神経細胞と比較して非常に限定的である。発生的な見地からは、 EnglundらがTbr2の免疫染色を用いることでUBCsが菱脳唇に由来すことを見出している(Englund et al. 2006)。一方、神経回路的な見地からは第X小葉におけるUBCsが前庭神経と直接シナプス結合することが示されている(Balmer 2019)。本研究によって同定されたUBCsの新規分子マーカーや詳細なサブタイプ分類は、今後、UBCsの研究をさらに発展させるとともに、小脳神経回路や小脳機能の新しい側面を解明することにつながることが期待される。