June 17, 2022
Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, Nagoya University
Kyoto University
Keio University
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Professor Shigeki Kiyonaka of the Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, together with Professor Itaru Hamachi and Dr. Kento Kojima (who completed the Doctoral Programs in FY2021) of the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, and Professor Michisuke Yuzaki and Associate Professor Wataru Kakegawa of the Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, has developed a new methodology, "coordination chemogenetics," which can selectively activate glutamate receptors in a cell-type-specific manner to clarify the roles of neural circuits.
◆Highlights
To understand the function of neural circuits in the brain, a technology is needed to selectively activate glutamate receptors—neurotransmitter receptors that govern memory and learning—in a cell-type-specific manner.
This study developed a mutant glutamate receptor that can be activated by an artificial compound while maintaining its original ability to respond to glutamate.
We created mice that express this mutant glutamate receptor in a specific cell type and succeeded in selectively activating the glutamate receptors in a cell-type-specific manner by administering an artificial compound.
This new technology, "coordination chemogenetics," is expected to accelerate our understanding of neural circuits.
These research findings were published online in the international academic journal "Nature Communications" on June 16, 2022.
Please see below for the full press release.