Anatomy and Cell Biology

KEYWORDS

HEAD

LAB MEMBER

CONTACT

Email	iga-ryu◎t.mail.nagoya-u.ac.jp (Please send a message after replacing "◎" mark with "@" mark. )
HP	Private Page

OUTLINE

We study the mechanisms of brain formation, or how the brain is constructed. The search for the principles of brain formation is progressing globally, and its medical significance includes: (1) a thorough understanding of brain structure, which is essential for understanding various brain functions, is greatly aided by a thorough understanding of the brain's origins; (2) it can elucidate the pathological mechanisms of brain diseases that are found from birth through adulthood but their origins are thought to lie in the fetal period; and (3) it can provide a biomimetic basis for applied approaches using stem cells and organoids.

Meanwhile, the process of brain formation is also a fascinating subject for interdisciplinary efforts seeking biological knowledge. The brain's primordium, where ordered tissue structures are generated by the assembly of cells performing diverse behaviors, reveals new facets every day through interdisciplinary perspectives and approaches.

With these significance in mind, we are conducting fundamental research on the mechanisms of central nervous system development.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

We are currently working on several projects that are interrelated but have different objectives, target cells, and brain regions.

1. Mechanically asking how the brain wall thickens:

The brain primordium is formed from a cylindrical, tubular structure that surrounds a cavity called the ""ventricle."" The formation and growth of each of these regions progresses as the walls of the presumptive regions, such as the cerebrum and midbrain, thicken, but there appears to be variation in the way the thickness increases, with one of two adjacent regions thickening with its inner (ventricle-facing) surface concave, while the other convex.. Shinoda/Miyata team is mechanically questioning how the shape of the brain primordium is established at every moment, how its thickness increases, and how the contrasting curvatures (concave vs. convex) arise at the inner suarface of the wall. (Shinoda, Miyata, graduate students)

2. Exploring the mechanisms and significance of brain macrophage colonization during embryogenesis:

Brain macrophages, including microglia—well known in the adult brain for their roles in phagocytosis, tissue clearance, and the modulation of neural circuits—are thought to enter the developing brain at multiple developmental stages and through distinct routes. Hattori team investigates the mechanisms underlying this colonization process and its functional significance. A deeper understanding of these processes is expected to provide insights into how maternal inflammation may influence fetal brain development. We conduct an integrated analysis of the interactions between brain macrophages and other cells (neural lineage cells, blood vessels, meninges, etc.). (Hattori, Shimamura, JSPS PD, graduate students)

3. Exploring the roles of nuclear envelope components in neuronal differentiation and migration:

The cell nucleus is supported on its inner surface by a structure known as the nuclear lamina, which consists of specialized scaffold molecules that maintain nuclear shape and mechanical strength. During embryonic development of the cerebral cortex, the composition of these nuclear envelope–associated scaffold molecules undergoes marked changes as neurons migrate, differentiate, and mature. Changes in nuclear envelope components are known to result not only in alterations in nuclear stiffness but also in differences in the chromatin regions that associate with the nuclear envelope. We focuses on these transitional phases of nuclear envelope composition, aiming to elucidate the physical effects of changes in nuclear stiffness on neuronal migration, as well as the dynamic changes in gene expression that accompany shifts in chromatin-binding domains. (Kawaue, Graduate Students)

BIBLIOGRAPHY