Japan Society for the Promotion of Science:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Date (from‐to) : 2015/04 -2017/03
Author : TAKIKAWA Kenji
In vivo analysis of spatiotemporal dynamics of glutamate released from astrocytes in the brain provides an essential information for understanding of astrocyte-mediated synaptic plasticity. For visualizing glutamate dynamics in the vicinity of synapses in the living mouse brain, we aimed to develop an in vivo glutamate imaging system. We first generated a novel optical glutamate sensor, EOS, engineered by position-specific labeling of glutamate-binding protein with a small-molecular fluorescent dye. We then developed methods for specific EOS labeling of neuronal surfaces including synapses. By combining these techniques, we successfully visualized glutamate dynamics around the synapses in vivo in the living mouse cerebral cortex during astrocyte activation. Our in vivo glutamate imaging system should shed light on astrocyte-mediated synaptic plasticity.