Investigation of the mechanisms of reprogramming genes and their regulatory master gene(s) during optic nerve regeneration

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25890007
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: OGAI Kazuhiro 金沢大学, 健康増進科学センター, 助教 (40706983)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-08-30 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 神経再生 / ゼブラフィッシュ / LIF / STAT3 / GAP-43

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research has been aimed at investigating the beneficial effect of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) on zebrafish optic nerve regeneration.
The LIF mRNA was upregulated within 3 days after optic nerve transection followed by the activation of STAT3 at 5 days. The activation of STAT3 in turn upregulated GAP-43, which is required for nerve elongation. Meanwhile, the knockdown of LIF attenuated the STAT3 activation and GAP-43 upregulation, and delayed the functional recovery during optic nerve regeneration. These result would tell that the upregulation of LIF after optic nerve transection may have a beneficial effect on optic nerve regeneration in adult zebrafish, which in turn implies the therapeutic strategies of LIF application against central nervous system injuries.

Free Research Field

神経科学