2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Molecular mechanisms underlying subnetwork formation in V1
| Project/Area Number |
26430029
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
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| Research Institution | Teikyo University (2017)
National Institute for Physiological Sciences (2014-2016) |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
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| Keywords | 一次視覚野 / in vivo カルシウムイメージング / 微小神経回路 / 大脳皮質 / ２光子顕微鏡イメージング / Cal590 / Dnmt3b / cPcdh |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Specific neuronal connections (subnetworks) in the sensory cortex are thought to be fundamental for information processing. Some studies have suggested a cell lineage contribution to establish cortical subnetworks. That is, excitatory neurons arising from a same neural progenitor cell have shown higher synaptic connection probabilities and responses to similar sensory stimuli.
However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms for subnetwork formation. We focused on the function of Dnmt3b, which regulates the expression of cPcdh isoforms, a family of adhesion molecules, in the neural progenitors. We recorded the visual neural responses from Dnmt3b-KO and wild-type neurons in V1 of mice using 2 Photon Ca2+ imaging. We observed: (i) the response strengths of Dnmt3b-KO neurons were comparable to normal neurons, and (ii) lower orientation tuning (OSI) in Dnmt3b-KO neurons. These results suggest the involvement of Dnmt3b in the establishment of cortical neural network specifications.
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| Free Research Field |
神経科学
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