Mechanism underlying photoreceptor degeneration in response to vesicular fusion defects

2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23650173
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neuroscience in general
• Research Institution: 沖縄科学技術大学院大学
• Principal Investigator: MASAI Ichiro 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 神経発生ユニット, 准教授 (50242087)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NISHIWAKI Yuko 沖縄科学技術大学院, 神経発生ユニット, 研究員 (20360620)
• Project Period (FY): 2011 – 2012
• Keywords: 神経科学 / 脳神経疾患 / 視細胞変性 / 遺伝疾患 / アポトーシス

Research Abstract

There are hereditary photoreceptor degeneration diseases in human. While previous studies suggested a connection between defects in vesicular transport and photoreceptor degeneration, the mechanism behind this link remained elusive. In this study, we investigated the mechanism underlying photoreceptor degeneration using zebrafish and identified BNip1 as a factor that induces cell death in response to vesicular transport defects. This finding uncovers a novel mechanism of photoreceptor degeneration and may advance our understanding of pathological process of human genetic retinal disease.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] The BH3-only SNARE BNip1 mediates photoreceptor apoptosis in response tovesicular fusion defects. Dev. (2013)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Yoshizawa, A., Kojima, Y.,Oguri, E., Nakamura, S., Suzuki, S.,Yuasa-Kawada, J., Kinoshita-Kawada, M.,Mochizuki, T., and Masai, I.
  • Journal Title: Cell Volume: 25 Pages: 374-387
  • DOI: doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2013.04.015
• [Journal Article] Ectopic expression of cone-specificG-protein-coupled receptor kinase GRK7 inzebrafish rods leads to lowerphotosensitivity and altered response. (2011)
  • Author(s): Vogalis, F., Shiraki, T., Kojima, D., Wada,Y., Nishiwaki, Y., Jarvinen, J. L. P.,Sugiyama, J., Kawakami, K., Masai, I.,Kawamura, S., Fukada, Y., Lamb, T. D.
  • Journal Title: J.Physiol Volume: 589 Pages: 2321-2348
  • DOI: doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2010.204156
• [Presentation] Syntaxin18cis-SNARE complex is a novel alarm factorthat detects vesicular transport defects (2013)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Yoshizawa, A., Kojima, Y.,Oguri, E., Nakamura, S., Suzuki, S.,Yuasa-Kawada, J., Kinoshita-Kawada, M.,Mochizuki, T., and Masai, I.
  • Organizer: The 46th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.
  • Place of Presentation: Matsue, Shimane Japan
  • Year and Date: 20130528-0531
• [Presentation] Characterization of a zebrafish mutantshowing cone photoreceptor degeneration (2013)
  • Author(s): Iribarne, M., Nishiwaki, Y., and Masai, I.
  • Organizer: The 46th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists Matsue,
  • Place of Presentation: Shimane, Japan
  • Year and Date: 20130528-0531
• [Presentation] The BH3-onlySNARE of syntaxin18, BNip1, is a mediatorof photoreceptor apoptosis in response tovesicular fusion defects (2012)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Yoshizawa, A., Kojima, Y.,Oguri, E., Nakamura, S., Suzuki, S.,Yuasa-Kawada, J., Kinoshita-Kawada, M.,Mochizuki, T., and Masai, I.
  • Organizer: The 35th annual meeting of the Molecular Biology Society
  • Place of Presentation: Japan. Fukuoka
  • Year and Date: 20121211-1214
• [Presentation] Genetic mutation of beta-SNAP causes photoreceptor degeneration through the activation of the BH3-only SNARE, BNip1 (2012)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Yoshizawa, A., Kojima, Y.,Oguri, E., Nakamura, S., Suzuki, S.,Yuasa-Kawada, J., Kinoshita-Kawada, M.,Mochizuki, T., and Masai, I.
  • Organizer: APDBC Taiwan 2012 Asia-Pacific Developmental Biology Conference 2012
  • Place of Presentation: Taipei Innovation City Convention Center, Taipei, Taiwan
  • Year and Date: 20121005-1008
• [Presentation] Genetic mutation of beta-SNAP causes photoreceptor degeneration through the activation of the BH3-only SNARE,BNip1 (2012)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Yoshizawa, A., Kojima, Y.,Oguri, E., Nakamura, S., Suzuki, S.,Yuasa-Kawada, J., Kinoshita-Kawada, M.,Mochizuki, T., and Masai, I.
  • Organizer: The 18th Japanese Medaka and zebrafish meeting.
  • Place of Presentation: Kyoto, Japan
  • Year and Date: 20120922-0923
• [Presentation] The BH3-onlySNARE of syntaxin18, BNip1, is a mediatorof photoreceptor apoptosis in response tovesicular fusion defects (2012)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Yoshizawa, A., Kojima, Y.,Oguri, E., Nakamura, S., Suzuki, S.,Yuasa-Kawada, J., Kinoshita-Kawada, M.,Mochizuki, T., and Masai, I.
  • Organizer: Neuroscience 2012.The 35thannual meeting of the JapanNeuroscience Society.
  • Place of Presentation: Nagoya, Japan
  • Year and Date: 20120918-0921
• [Presentation] The BH3-only SNARE of syntaxin18, BNip1, mediates photoreceptor apoptosis in response to vesicular fusion defects (2012)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Yoshizawa, A., Kojima, Y.,Oguri, E., Nakamura, S., Suzuki, S.,Yuasa-Kawada, J., Kinoshita-Kawada, M.,Mochizuki, T., and Masai, I.
  • Organizer: Gordon researchconference ? visual system development.
  • Place of Presentation: Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH
  • Year and Date: 20120819-0824
• [Presentation] Geneticmutation of beta-SNAP causes photoreceptordegeneration through the activation of theBH3-only SNARE, BNip1 (2012)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Yoshizawa, A., Kojima, Y.,Oguri, E., Nakamura, S., Suzuki, S.,Yuasa-Kawada, J., Kinoshita-Kawada, M.,Mochizuki, T., and Masai, I.
  • Organizer: 10th International Conference Zebrafish Development and Genetics
  • Place of Presentation: Madison, USA
  • Year and Date: 20120620-0624
• [Presentation] Geneticmutation of beta-SNAP causesphotoreceptor degeneration through theactivation of the BH3-only SNARE, BNip1 (2012)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Yoshizawa, A., Kojima, Y.,Oguri, E., Nakamura, S., Suzuki, S.,Yuasa-Kawada, J., Kinoshita-Kawada, M.,Mochizuki, T., and Masai, I.
  • Organizer: Joint meeting of the 45th annual meeting of the Japanese society of DevelopmentalBiologists & the 64thannual meeting of theJapanese society of Cell Biology.
  • Place of Presentation: Kobe,Japan
  • Year and Date: 20120528-0531
• [Presentation] Molecular mechanism that transforms defects in intracellular vesicular transport into apoptosis in zebrafishphotoreceptors (2011)
  • Author(s): Masai, I.
  • Organizer: 5th Asia-Oceania zebrafish international meeting, China National Convention Center
  • Place of Presentation: Beijing, China
  • Year and Date: 20110826-0829
• [Presentation] Mutation of beta-SNAP induces amitochondria-dependent apoptosis inzebrafish photoreceptors (2011)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Suzuki, S., Yoshizawa, A.,Kojima, Y., Mochizuki, T., Masai, I.
  • Organizer: 7th EuropeanZebrafish Meeting
  • Place of Presentation: Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Year and Date: 20110605-0609
• [Presentation] Azebrafish corona mutation induces aBcl2-dependent apoptosis in photoreceptor (2011)
  • Author(s): Nishiwaki, Y., Suzuki, S., Yoshizawa, A.,Kojima, Y., Mochizuki, T., Masai, I.
  • Organizer: 44th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists
  • Place of Presentation: Okinawa Convention Center (Ginowan City)
  • Year and Date: 20110518-0521