2018/12/07
Keio University
Sanyo-Onoda City University
A joint research group, led by Professor Kotaro Oka of the Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, and Assistant Professor Ryu Yamanaka of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Sanyo-Onoda City University, has discovered that fluctuations in intracellular magnesium ion concentration act as a novel messenger that promotes the maturation of neural cell networks. Using a fluorescent probe for intracellular magnesium ions developed in their previous research, the group analyzed the dynamics of magnesium ions in hippocampal neurons. As a result, they discovered for the first time that GABA, a type of neurotransmitter, induces the release of magnesium ions from mitochondria into the cytoplasm. They further elucidated that these released magnesium ions promote the maturation of neural networks by simultaneously regulating the activity of multiple intracellular signaling molecules. Until now, it was believed that intracellular magnesium ion concentrations were kept constant and were not involved in the dynamic changes of cells. However, the results of this study show that intracellular magnesium ions act as a novel messenger that integrates information from outside the cell and regulates multiple downstream molecules. The role of magnesium ions as a novel messenger will provide fundamental knowledge in biology and the medical sciences, and is expected to contribute to the future development of pharmaceuticals.
This research is scheduled to be published in the American scientific journal " Current Biology " on Monday, December 17, 2018 (JST).
Please see below for the full press release.