2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
An ancient origin of neurogenetic mechanisms for neocortical layer-specific neurons
| Project/Area Number |
23657151
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
Developmental biology
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| Research Institution | National Institute of Genetics |
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Principal Investigator |
HIRATA Tatsumi 国立遺伝学研究所, 総合遺伝研究系, 准教授 (80260587)
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| Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha) |
SUZUKI K Ikuo 国立遺伝学研究所, 総合遺伝研究系, 研究員 (30600548)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2012
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| Keywords | 神経 / 進化 / 発生 |
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| Research Abstract |
The most remarkable characteristic of the mammalian neocortex is its layered structure. Because all, but only the mammalian species, have this layered structure in the telencephalon, it has been accepted as a “new” brain structure that recently evolved in the mammalian lineage. We, however, found that the non-mammalian chicken has neurons homologous to mammalian neocortical layer-specific neuron subtypes and can activate the mammalian-type neurogenetic mechanism to produce them. The results suggest that the so-called “mammalian-type” neocortical neurogenetic mechanism was already inherent in the last common ancestor of mammals and birds before actual evolution of the layered neocortex in the mammalian lineage.
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