Cell kinetic as well as functional analyses on microcephaly-related gene knockout mice

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25293240
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Embryonic/Neonatal medicine
• Research Institution: Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Itoh Kyoko 京都府立医科大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (80243301)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 藤森 亮 国立研究開発法人量子科学技術研究開発機構, 放射線防護研究センター・リスク低減化研究プログラム・感受性モデル動物研究チーム, チームリーダー (50314183) ; 伏木 信次 京都府立医科大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 特任教授 (80150572)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 先天異常学 / Aspm / 細胞周期 / 小頭症 / MRI

Outline of Final Research Achievements

CNS-targeted conditional Aspm-knockout (KO) mice were generated to investigate the significance of Aspm in developing brain from the viewpoint of cell kinetics and the formation of cortical structure. We first studied whether the cell number showing S-phase as well as M-phase may be altered in Aspm-KO mice and found that no increase or decrease in the number of cells assigned to either S- or M-phase was demonstrated in the forebrain from embryonic day (E) 12.5 through 16.5. EdU-pulse labelling studies revealed that the labeled cells were decreased in the intermediate zone of Aspm-KO mice, indicating the significant reduction of newly-born neurons after E14.5. MRI imaging studies of postnatal Aspm-KO mice demonstrated the significant alterations in FA value (calculated from the tensor imaging) in the KO cerebral cortex when compared to wild type cerebral cortex, which is likely to correlate with the changes of the neurite direction shown in histo-morphometric studies.

Free Research Field

発生神経生物学、神経病理学