2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

The mechanistic analyses on the effects of ethano Ion the maturation and the differentiation of neural stem cells in the primordium of cerebral cortex.

Research Project

Project/Area Number	21791035
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Embryonic/Neonatal medicine
Research Institution	The University of Tokushima
Principal Investigator	TOCHITANI Shiro The University of Tokushima, 大学院・ヘルスバイオサイエンス研究部, 助教 (90418591)
Project Period (FY)	2009 – 2010
Keywords	脳発達障害 / 神経前駆細胞 / エタノール / GABAA受容体 / 発生・分化
Research Abstract	Ethanol is a potent tetatogen to induce congenital malformation in the central nervous system. The results of this study showed that ethanol alters mitotic cleavage plane orientation of the neural progenitors at the apical surface of the ventricular zone in the developing neocortex. Immunohistochemical analyses also showed that the alpha4 subunit of GABA_A receptors is already expressed in the neural progenitors at E10. GABA and Taurine, the endogenous agonists of GABA_A receptors, are also present in the developing neocortex with specific laminar patterns throughout the stages after E10. These results suggest that fetal exposure to ethanol perturbs the regulation of mitotic spindle orientation via GABA_A receptors, which may result in congenital malformation in the central nervous system.

(2 results)