2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Molecular basis for stress vulnerability of hippocampal newborn neurons derived from GFAP-expressing stem cells

Research Project

Project/Area Number	22500313
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Nerve anatomy/Neuropathology
Research Institution	Fukushima Medical University (2011-2013) Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (2010)
Principal Investigator	IMURA Tetsuya 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (00405276)
Project Period (FY)	2010-04-01 – 2013-03-31
Keywords	神経幹細胞 / 神経新生 / 老化 / ストレス
Research Abstract	New neurons in the adult brain are originated from GFAP-expressing neural stem cells (GFAP+NSCs). In the present study, we analyzed the dynamic properties of GFAP+NSC-derived new granule cells (GCs) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus with reference to aging and stress vulnerability. The contribution of GFAP+NSC-derived GCs to the whole GC layer in mice sharply increased during the juvenile period followed by a subtle addition by old age, which was variable depending on spatial positioning and sex. The survival of newborn neurons was deteriorated by the chronic environmental stress , but there was a critical period of vulnerability for the stress during their differentiation. We also performed a comprehensive analysis of the gene expression profiles in the GC layer and found several candidate molecules implicated in the regulation of adult-born GCs.

(2 results)