環境因子はDNAメチル化を変化させるが、DNAメチル化検出手法が煩雑であるため、DNAメチル化により大きな影響をたらえる環境因子についての研究は進んでいなかった。本研究では簡便なDNAメチル化レポーターを開発を行った。

Award type：Honored in official journal of a scientific society, scientific journal  Country：Japan

筆者を含む研究チームがパーキンソン病に関与するαシヌクレインアミロイド線維に対するユーカリ抽出物の阻害効果についてBBBに2024年に投稿した論文が年間優秀論文として選出された。

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Language：English   Publisher：Molecular Brain  

Observational fear (OF) is the ability to vicariously experience and learn from another’s fearful situation, enabling adaptive responses crucial for survival. It has been shown that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) are crucial for OF. A subset of neurons in the ACC is activated when observing aversive events in the demonstrator, which elicits OF. However, the neural circuit mechanisms underlying the expression of OF-related activity in the ACC remain unexplored. Previous studies have shown that the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) is crucial for OF, and MD neurons project to the ACC. Therefore, we hypothesize that the projection from MD to ACC may facilitate the OF-related activity in the ACC. By utilizing in vivo calcium imaging combined with the optogenetic terminal inhibition of MD-ACC pathway, we found that a subset of ACC neurons was activated when observing demonstrator’s fearful situation in male mice. Furthermore, the optogenetic inhibition of the MD-ACC projection during the demonstrator’s aversive moments significantly suppressed the OF-related activity in the ACC. Our data suggests that the MD-ACC projection plays a role in OF-related activity in ACC neurons.

DOI： 10.1186/s13041-025-01188-9

Web of Science

Scopus

PubMed

Language：English   Publisher：Molecular Brain  

Entorhinal cortical (EC)-hippocampal (HPC) circuits are crucial for learning and memory. Although it was traditionally believed that superficial layers (II/III) of the EC mainly project to the HPC and deep layers (V/VI) receive input from the HPC, recent studies have highlighted the significant projections from layers Va and VI of the EC into the HPC. However, it still remains unknown whether Vb neurons in the EC provide projections to the hippocampus. In this study, using a molecular marker for Vb and retrograde tracers, we identified that the outer layer of Vb neurons in the medial EC (MEC) directly project to both dorsal and ventral hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), with a significant preference for the ventral DG. In contrast to the distribution of DG-projecting Vb cells, anterior thalamus-projecting Vb cells are distributed through the outer to the inner layer of Vb. Furthermore, dual tracer injections revealed that DG-projecting Vb cells and anterior thalamus-projecting Vb cells are distinct populations. These results suggest that the roles of MEC Vb neurons are not merely limited to the formation of EC-HPC loop circuits, but rather contribute to multiple neural processes for learning and memory.

DOI： 10.1186/s13041-024-01079-5

Scopus

PubMed

Language：English   Publisher：Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry  

Amyloid fibril formation is associated with various amyloidoses, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Despite the numerous studies on the inhibition of amyloid formation, the prevention and treatment of a majority of amyloid-related disorders are still challenging. In this study, we investigated the effects of various plant extracts on amyloid formation of α-synuclein. We found that the extracts from Eucalyptus gunnii are able to inhibit amyloid formation, and to disaggregate preformed fibrils, in vitro. The extract itself did not lead to cell damage. In the extract, miquelianin, which is a glycosylated form of quercetin and has been detected in the plasma and the brain, was identified and assessed to have a moderate inhibitory activity, compared to the effects of ellagic acid and quercetin, which are strong inhibitors for amyloid formation. The properties of miquelianin provide insights into the mechanisms controlling the assembly of α-synuclein in the brain.

DOI： 10.1093/bbb/zbae114

Web of Science

Scopus

PubMed

Language：English   Publisher：Scientific Reports  

Juvenile loneliness is a risk factor for psychopathology in later life. Deprivation of early social experience due to peer rejection has a detrimental impact on emotional and cognitive brain function in adulthood. Accumulating evidence indicates that soy peptides have many positive effects on higher brain function in rodents and humans. However, the effects of soy peptide use on juvenile social isolation are unknown. Here, we demonstrated that soy peptides reduced the deterioration of behavioral and cellular functions resulting from juvenile socially-isolated rearing. We found that prolonged social isolation post-weaning in male C57BL/6J mice resulted in higher aggression and impulsivity and fear memory deficits at 7 weeks of age, and that these behavioral abnormalities, except impulsivity, were mitigated by ingestion of soy peptides. Furthermore, we found that daily intake of soy peptides caused upregulation of postsynaptic density 95 in the medial prefrontal cortex and phosphorylation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein in the hippocampus of socially isolated mice, increased phosphorylation of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase in the hippocampus, and altered the microbiota composition. These results suggest that soy peptides have protective effects against juvenile social isolation-induced behavioral deficits via synaptic maturation and cellular functionalization.

DOI： 10.1038/s41598-024-62534-w

Web of Science

Scopus

PubMed

Event date： 2024.9

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (invited, special)  

Venue：Nagoya  

Language：English   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (scientific journal)  

Language：English   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (scientific journal)  

Language：English   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (scientific journal)  

Language：English   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (scientific journal)  

Type：Academic society, research group, etc. 

Type：Competition, symposium, etc. 

Type：Academic society, research group, etc.