Cutting edge Seminar

 

Speaker: Takeshi Yagi（Guest professor, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University）

Title: Exploring the role of neuronal individuality in neuronal survival and brain function

Date&Time: 13 May (wed)　12：00-13：00

Venue: Conference Room(1F), IMEG, Kumamoto University

※This seminar can also be attended through ZOOM. Please check the URL on “S-HIGO Cutting-Edge Seminar A, B” at Moodle.

https://md.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/course/view.php?id=136783

 

Abstract:

In the brain, individual neurons form precise and complex neural networks that underlie a wide range of brain functions, including cognition, emotion, motor control, and the formation of massive memories. Recent studies have revealed that each neuron possesses distinct molecular, structural, and functional identities. However, the fundamental question of how such individuality arises and how it contributes to the organization of brain functions and behavioral control remains unresolved. Our previous work identified the clustered protocadherin (cPcdh) gene family as key molecules that generate neuronal individuality by producing random yet combinatorial gene expression patterns (Morishita & Yagi, Curr Opin Cell Biol, 2007). These molecules have been implicated in neuronal survival, dendritic and axonal self-recognition, circuit formation, and behavioral regulation. Despite these insights, the functional significance of the stochastic expression of cPcdh genes remains incompletely understood. Here we aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which randomly expressed cPcdh genes regulate neuronal survival and synapse formation. Furthermore, by capturing and manipulating the stochastic expression of cPcdh, we investigate how neuronal individuality contributes to the establishment of complex and precise neural networks and the formation of higher-order brain functions.