Analysis of brain functions regulated by histone modification and development of psychiatric disorder animal models

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25290031
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Laboratory animal science
• Research Institution: Kyoto University (2014-2015); Kanazawa University (2013)
• Principal Investigator: Asano Masahide 京都大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (50251450)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NARUSE Chie 京都大学, 大学院医学研究科, 助教 (30372486) ; YOSHIHARA Toru 京都大学, 大学院医学研究科, 特定助教 (00401935)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): SUGIHARA Kazushi 京都大学, 大学院医学研究科, 技術職員 (10377418)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: エピジェネティクス / 脳神経疾患 / 行動学 / 遺伝子改変マウス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To elucidate the function of histone modification factors including HP1γ in the brain, we generated nervous system-specific HP1γ-deficient mice. When the mice were applied to test-battery behavioral analysis, they showed marked low activity in the open-field and light-dark transition test. However, antidepressant and antianxiety drugs could not recover their low activity.
HP1γ-deficient neural stem cells (NSCs) isolated from the mice were tended to differentiate and adhere culture dishes after several passages. When gene expression levels were compared between HP1γ-deficient and wild-type NSCs, expression levels of several genes related to nervous system were significantly enhanced in HP1γ-deficient NSCs and the accumulation of repressive histone marks was reduced in these genes. These results suggest that HP1γ regulates gene expression through histone modifications.

Free Research Field

実験動物学