Latent variable models of multilayer epigenetic information of neurons for memory

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K19823
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 62:Applied informatics and related fields
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Kishi Yusuke 東京大学, 定量生命科学研究所, 准教授 (00645236)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 水野 忠快 東京大学, 大学院薬学系研究科(薬学部), 助教 (90736050)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-06-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ニューロン / エピゲノム / 潜在変数モデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

What makes me who I am is memory, and the substance of memory is one of our greatest mysteries. We focused on the epigenetic information of neurons. The same genetic information is encoded in the genome of every cell in the body, but epigenetics is important for each cell type to acquire different properties. Therefore, it is the 'marker' that determines which genes can be read (transcribed) in a cell, and this varies from cell to cell.
This study tested the hypothesis that epigenetic information in neurons records individual memories in a different layers to previous studies, such as synaptic connections, and showed that the experiences of mice, such as aging, were recorded into the epigenetic information.

Free Research Field

分子生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果により、潜在変数モデルを用いた解析によりニューロンのエピジェネティクスに過去の経験が書き込まれていることが明らかとなった。そのため、エピゲノムを操作することにより、ストレスや疾患といった環境変化によるニューロンの状態を変化させ、脳機能を改善することができる可能性がある。今後は、ニューロンエピジェネティクスを用いた脳機能の回復について研究を進めていきたい。