signal transduction in the brains of Xenopus tadpoles under exposure to a predation fear

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26670729
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Obstetrics and gynecology
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: MORI Tsukasa 日本大学, 生物資源科学部, 教授 (60241379)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: カエル幼生 / 被捕食 / Xenopus

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Stress during developmental stages is known to adversely affect neural function in offspring of mammals and other animal groups. Here we use the model organism Xenopus laevis to investigate induced gene expression changes in the brains of larval stages (tadpoles) under the stress of exposure to a predator. We performed a 3′-tag digital gene expression profiling analysis using brain tissues. A pathway analysis based on the expression profiles of short time predation threat indicated that various signal transduction genes, such as HIPPO, ILK, and RhoGDI, were up-regulated, while a number of others were down-regulated.The tadpoles exposed predation stress showed defects in neural function as shown in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, dynamic changes in signal transduction in the brain appeared to bring about to improve memory and cognition for survival.

Free Research Field

生理生化学