In vivo mechanisms of dendritic development

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26830017
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: Takeo Yukari 慶應義塾大学, 医学部, 研究員 (90624320)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 樹状突起 / イメージング / 神経活動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Neurons develop cell-type specific dendritic morphology which is thought to be important for normal circuit development and functions. This study aimed to reveal the in vivo mechanisms for dendritic development. I focused on the cerebellar Purkinje cells, which has unique and elaborate dendritic morphology. First, I revealed that RORα, a transcriptional factor, is crucial for both development and maintenance of dendrite morphology (J Neurosci, 2015). Next, using in vivo two-photon imaging method, I revealed that multiple dendrites actively change their morphology before pruning. Furthermore,this process requires neural activities and intracellular calcium signaling.These results contribute to understanding of the mechanisms how neural cuicuit develops in vivo.

Free Research Field

神経科学