Masahiko Watanabe

NMDA Receptor GluN2B (GluRε2/NR2B) Subunit Is Crucial for Channel Function, Postsynaptic Macromolecular Organization, and Actin Cytoskeleton at Hippocampal CA3 Synapses (2009)

Akashi, Kaori, Kakizaki, Toshikazu, Kamiya, Haruyuki, Fukaya, Masahiro, Yamasaki, Miwako, Abe, Manabu, ...

GluN2B (GluRε2/NR2B) subunit is involved in synapse development, synaptic plasticity, and cognitive function. However, its roles in synaptic expression and function of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) in the...

Diacylglycerol kinase β promotes dendritic outgrowth and spine maturation in developing hippocampal neurons (2009)

Hozumi, Yasukazu, Watanabe, Masahiko, Otani, Koichi, Goto, Kaoru

Abstract Background Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) is an enzyme that phosphorylates diacylglycerol to phosphatidic acid and comprises multiple isozymes of distinct properties. Of DGKs, mRNA signal for...

Early postnatal stress affects 5-HT1A receptor function in the medial prefrontal cortex in adult rats (2009)

Matsuzaki, Hirokazu, Izumi, Takeshi, Matsumoto, Machiko, Togashi, Hiroko, Yamaguchi, Taku, Yoshida, Takayuki, ...

Traumatic events in early life are associated with an increased risk of psychiatric diseases in adulthood. 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)1A receptors are known to play a pivotal role in the 5-HTergic...

Generation of L7-tTA Knock-in Mice (2008)

Echigo, Ruka, Nakano, Kazuki, Furuta, Masahiro, Watanabe, Masahiko, Aiba, Atsu

We generated a versatile mouse line, L7-tTA knock-in mouse, in whichtetracycline-responsive transcriptional activator (tTA) gene was introduced into exon 2of L7 locus. Since L7 is specifically...

Expression of AMPA receptor subunits at synapses in laminae I–III of the rodent spinal dorsal horn (2008)

Polgár, Erika, Watanabe, Masahiko, Hartmann, Bettina, Grant, Seth GN, Todd, Andrew J

Abstract Background Glutamate receptors of the AMPA type (AMPArs) mediate fast excitatory transmission in the dorsal horn and are thought to underlie perception of both acute and chronic pain. They...

Phase II Trial to Evaluate Laparoscopic Surgery for Stage 0/I Rectal Carcinoma (2008)

Yamamoto, Seiichiro, Yoshimura, Kenichi, Konishi, Fumio, Watanabe, Masahiko

Recently reported randomized controlled trials demonstrated that laparoscopic surgery (LS) was comparable or superior to open surgery with regard to the long-term outcome for colon and rectosigmoidal...

Segmental and complementary expression of L-serine biosynthetic enzyme 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase and neutral amino acid transporter ASCT1 in the mouse kidney. (2007)

Takasaki, Chihiro, Miura, Eriko, Watanabe, Masahiko

3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (Phgdh) is the initial step enzyme in the phosphorylated pathway of L-serine biosynthesis. We have previously revealed in the brain that Phgdh is preferentially...

Segmental and complementary expression of L-serine biosynthetic enzyme 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase and neutral amino acid transporter ASCT1 in the mouse kidney. (2007)

Takasaki, Chihiro, Miura, Eriko, Watanabe, Masahiko

3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (Phgdh) is the initial step enzyme in the phosphorylated pathway of L-serine biosynthesis. We have previously revealed in the brain that Phgdh is preferentially...

Phosphorylation of ERK in neurokinin 1 receptor-expressing neurons in laminae III and IV of the rat spinal dorsal horn following noxious stimulation (2007)

Polgár, Erika, Campbell, Annie D, MacIntyre, Lynsey M, Watanabe, Masahiko, Todd, Andrew J

Abstract Background There is a population of large neurons with cell bodies in laminae III and IV of the spinal dorsal horn which express the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1r) and have dendrites that...

Abundant distribution of TARP γ-8 in synaptic and extrasynaptic surface of hippocampal neurons and its major role in AMPA receptor expression on spines and dendrites (2006)

Fukaya, Masahiro, Tsujita, Mika, Yamazaki, Maya, Kushiya, Etsuko, Abe, Manabu, Akashi, Kaori, ...

Transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory proteins (TARPs) play pivotal roles in AMP A receptor trafficking and gating. Here we examined cellular and subcellular distribution of TARP γ-8 in the mouse...

Spatial diversity in gene expression for VDCCγ subunit family in developing and adult mouse brains (2005)

Fukaya, Masahiro, Yamazaki, Maya, Sakimura, Kenji, Watanabe, Masahiko, 深谷, 昌弘

The γ subunit of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) is characterized by molecular diversity and regulation of AMPA-type glutamate receptors as well as VDCCs. In the present study, we examined...

Spatial diversity in gene expression for VDCCγ subunit family in developing and adult mouse brains (2005)

Fukaya, Masahiro, Yamazaki, Maya, Sakimura, Kenji, Watanabe, Masahiko

The γ subunit of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) is characterized by molecular diversity and regulation of AMPA-type glutamate receptors as well as VDCCs. In the present study, we examined...

Spatial diversity in gene expression for VDCCγ subunit family in developing and adult mouse brains (2005)

Fukaya, Masahiro, Yamazaki, Maya, Sakimura, Kenji, Watanabe, Masahiko

The γ subunit of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) is characterized by molecular diversity and regulation of AMPA-type glutamate receptors as well as VDCCs. In the present study, we examined...

Factors Inducing Successful Anhydrobiosis in the African Chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki: Significance of the Larval Tubular Nest (2005)

Kikawada, Takahiro, Minakawa, Noboru, Watanabe, Masahiko, Okuda, Takashi

The African chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki exhibits anhydrobiosis, i.e., the larvae can survive complete desiccation. Recovery rate and trehalose content were investigated in larvae desiccated...

Host-use pattern of the ragweed beetle Ophraella communa LeSage (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) for overwintering and reproduction in Tsukuba (2004)

Masahiko Watanabe, Yoshio Hirai

Host-use pattern for overwintering and reproduction of the ragweed beetle, Ophraella communa LeSage, was examined in Tsukuba, Japan. Many adults of both sexes were found overwintering inside the...

Evaluation of the Performance of Polished Mirror Surfaces for the TAMA Gravitational Wave Detector by Use of a Wave-Front Tracing Simulation (2002)

Tomaru, Takayuki, Miyoki, Shinji, Ohashi, Masatake, Kuroda, Kazuaki, Uchiyama, Takashi, Suzuki, Toshikazu, ...

We evaluated the performance of polished mirror surfaces for the TAMA interferometric gravitational wave detector by comparing the experimental results with a wave-front tracing simulation. The TAMA...

Delphilin: a novel PDZ and formin homology domain-containing protein that synaptically colocalizes and interacts with glutamate receptor delta 2 subunit (2002)

Yohei Miyagi, Tetsuji Yamashita, Masahiro Fukaya, Tomoko Sonoda, Toshiaki Okuno, Kazuyuki Yamada, ...

The glutamate receptor �2 (GluR�2) subunit is selectively expressed in cerebellar Purkinje cells and plays an important role in cerebellar long-term depression, motor learning, motor...

Mono(ADP-ribosyl)ation of DNA by apoptosis-inducing protein, pierisin (2002)

Watanabe, Masahiko, Takamura-Enya, Takeji, Kanazawa, Takashi, Totsuka, Yukari, Matsushima-Hibiya, Yuko, Koyama, Kotaro, ...

The cabbage butterfly contains a potent cytotoxic protein, pierisin-1, and this protein is suggested to be an ADP-ribosylating toxin. Pierisin-1 effectively transfered an ADP-ribosyl group to DNA,...

A Novel Low-Molecular-Mass Dual-Specificity Phosphatase, LDP-2, with a Naturally Occurring Substitution That Affects Substrate Specificity (2002)

Nakamura, Koji, Tanoue, Kan, Satoh, Takeshi, Takekawa, Mutsuhiro, Watanabe, Masahiko, Shima, Hiroshi, ...

We have identified a novel dual-specificity phosphatase (DSP), called LDP-2 (low-molecular-mass DSP-2), composed of 220 amino acid residues showing high sequence homology to VHR and LDP-1/TMDP,...

Characterization of mutations induced by 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine in the colon of gpt delta transgenic mouse: novel G:C deletions beside runs of identical bases (2000)

Masumura, Ken-ichi, Matsui, Keiko, Yamada, Masami, Horiguchi, Mieko, Ishida, Kaori, Watanabe, Masahiko, ...

Mutations induced by one of the typical dietary mutagens/carcinogens, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), were characterized using gpt delta transgenic mice. This...

Abundant expression and cytoplasmic aggregations of {alpha}1A voltage-dependent calcium channel protein associated with neurodegeneration in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (1999)

Ishikawa, Kinya, Fujigasaki, Hiroto, Saegusa, Hironao, Ohwada, Kiyoshi, Fujita, Tsuneo, Iwamoto, Hiroyuki, ...

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) is one of the eight neurodegenerative diseases caused by a tri­nucleotide (CAG) repeat expansion coding polyglutamine (CAG repeat/polyglutamine diseases) and...

Phospholipase Cbeta 4 is specifically involved in climbing fiber synapse elimination in the developing cerebellum (1998)

Kano, Masanobu, Hashimoto, Kouichi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Kurihara, Hideo, Offermanns, Stefan, Jiang, Huiping, ...

Elimination of excess climbing fiber (CF)-Purkinje cell synapses during cerebellar development involves a signaling pathway that includes type 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor, Galpha q, and the...

Impaired motor coordination and persistent multiple climbing fiber innervation of cerebellar Purkinje cells in mice lacking Galpha q (1997)

Offermanns, Stefan, Hashimoto, Kouichi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Sun, William, Kurihara, Hideo, Thompson, Richard F., ...

Mice lacking the alpha -subunit of the heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding protein Gq (Galpha q) are viable but suffer from ataxia with typical signs of motor discoordination. The anatomy of...

Impaired motor coordination and persistent multiple climbing fiber innervation of cerebellar Purkinje cells in mice lacking G alpha q (1997)

Offermanns, Stefan, Hashimoto, Kouichi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Sun, William, Kurihara, Hideo, Thompson, Richard F., ...

Mice lacking the alpha-subunit of the heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding protein G(q) (G alpha(q)) are viable but suffer from ataxia with typical signs of motor discoordination. The anatomy of...

Photoperiodic Control of Adult Diapause, Cold Hardiness, and Inositol Accumulation in a Beetle, Aulacophora nigripennis (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) (1997)

Masahiko Watanabe, Kazuhiro Tanaka

Adults of Aulacophora nigripennis terminated diapause when transferred from outdoor conditions to a long photoperiod before February but remained in diapause when transferred to a short photoperiod....

Analyses of Muscle Proteins in a Patient with a Mitochondrial Myopathy (1985)

DARLEY-USMAR, Victor M., WATANABE, Masahiko

Using the small amounts of muscle available from biopsy (∼100 mg), from both normal controls and a patient with a previously identified defect of the mitochondrial electron transfer protein complex...

l-Serine and glycine serve as major astroglia-derived trophic factors for cerebellar Purkinje neurons

Furuya, Shigeki, Tabata, Toshihide, Mitoma, Junya, Yamada, Keiko, Yamasaki, Miwako, Makino, Asami, ...

Glial cells support the survival and development of central neurons through the supply of trophic factors. Here we demonstrate that l-serine (l-Ser) and glycine (Gly) also are glia-derived trophic...

Molecular cloning of an apoptosis-inducing protein, pierisin, from cabbage butterfly: Possible involvement of ADP-ribosylation in its activity

Watanabe, Masahiko, Kono, Takuo, Matsushima-Hibiya, Yuko, Kanazawa, Takashi, Nishisaka, Nobuyasu, Kishimoto, Taketoshi, ...

We have previously reported that the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae, contains a 98-kDa protein, named pierisin, that induces apoptosis in a variety of human cancer cell lines. In the present study,...

Functions of the two glutamate transporters GLAST and GLT-1 in the retina

Harada, Takayuki, Harada, Chikako, Watanabe, Masahiko, Inoue, Yoshiro, Sakagawa, Takashi, Nakayama, Naoki, ...

In the retina, the glutamate transporter GLAST is expressed in Müller cells, whereas the glutamate transporter GLT-1 is found only in cones and various types of bipolar cells. To investigate the...

Phospholipase Cβ4 is specifically involved in climbing fiber synapse elimination in the developing cerebellum

Kano, Masanobu, Hashimoto, Kouichi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Kurihara, Hideo, Offermanns, Stefan, Jiang, Huiping, ...

Elimination of excess climbing fiber (CF)–Purkinje cell synapses during cerebellar development involves a signaling pathway that includes type 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor, Gαq, and the γ...

Impaired motor coordination and persistent multiple climbing fiber innervation of cerebellar Purkinje cells in mice lacking Gαq

Offermanns, Stefan, Hashimoto, Kouichi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Sun, William, Kurihara, Hideo, Thompson, Richard F., ...

Mice lacking the α-subunit of the heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding protein Gq (Gαq) are viable but suffer from ataxia with typical signs of motor discoordination. The anatomy of the...

Distinct roles for the N- and C-terminal regions in the cytotoxicity of pierisin-1, a putative ADP-ribosylating toxin from cabbage butterfly, against mammalian cells

Kanazawa, Takashi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Matsushima-Hibiya, Yuko, Kono, Takuo, Tanaka, Noriaki, Koyama, Kotaro, ...

Pierisin-1 is an 850-aa cytotoxic protein found in the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae, and has been suggested to consist of an N-terminal region with ADP-ribosyltransferase domain and of a...

Mono(ADP-ribosyl)ation of 2′-deoxyguanosine residue in DNA by an apoptosis-inducing protein, pierisin-1, from cabbage butterfly

Takamura-Enya, Takeji, Watanabe, Masahiko, Totsuka, Yukari, Kanazawa, Takashi, Matsushima-Hibiya, Yuko, Koyama, Kotaro, ...

Pierisin-1 is a potent apoptosis-inducing protein derived from the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae. It has been shown that pierisin-1 has an A⋅B structure–function organization like cholera or...

Retention of NMDA receptor NR2 subunits in the lumen of endoplasmic reticulum in targeted NR1 knockout mice

Fukaya, Masahiro, Kato, Akira, Lovett, Chanel, Tonegawa, Susumu, Watanabe, Masahiko

Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system, and the N-methyl-d-aspartate-selective glutamate receptor (NR) consisting of the NR1 subunit and an NR2 or...

Apo E structure determines VLDL clearance and atherosclerosis risk in mice

Knouff, Christopher, Hinsdale, Myron E., Mezdour, Hafid, Altenburg, Michael K., Watanabe, Masahiko, Quarfordt, Steven H., ...

We have generated mice expressing the human apo E4 isoform in place of the endogenous murine apo E protein and have compared them with mice expressing the human apo E3 isoform. Plasma lipid and...

Rescue of abnormal phenotypes of the δ2 glutamate receptor-null mice by mutant δ2 transgenes

Hirai, Hirokazu, Miyazaki, Taisuke, Kakegawa, Wataru, Matsuda, Shinji, Mishina, Masayoshi, Watanabe, Masahiko, ...

The δ2 glutamate receptor (GluRδ2) has a crucial role in cerebellar functions; disruption of GluRδ2 alleles in mice (δ2−/−) impairs synapse formation and long-term depression, which is...

Negative Phototaxis from Blue Light and the Role of Third Rhodopsinlike Pigment in Halobacterium Cutirubrum

Takahashi, Tetsuo, Watanabe, Masahiko, Kamo, Naoki, Kobatake, Yonosuke

Wild-type cells of Halobacterium cutirubrum show phototaxis. In negative phototaxis the cells are repelled by blue-near ultraviolet light, and in positive phototaxis the cells are attracted to...

Maintenance of presynaptic function by AMPA receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic activity in adult brain

Kakizawa, Sho, Miyazaki, Taisuke, Yanagihara, Dai, Iino, Masamitsu, Watanabe, Masahiko, Kano, Masanobu

Activity-dependent synaptic modification occurs in both developing and mature animals. For reliable information transfer and storage, however, once established, synapses must be maintained stably. We...

l-Serine and glycine serve as major astroglia-derived trophic factors for cerebellar Purkinje neurons

Furuya, Shigeki, Tabata, Toshihide, Mitoma, Junya, Yamada, Keiko, Yamasaki, Miwako, Makino, Asami, ...

Glial cells support the survival and development of central neurons through the supply of trophic factors. Here we demonstrate that l-serine (l-Ser) and glycine (Gly) also are glia-derived trophic...

Molecular cloning of an apoptosis-inducing protein, pierisin, from cabbage butterfly: Possible involvement of ADP-ribosylation in its activity

Watanabe, Masahiko, Kono, Takuo, Matsushima-Hibiya, Yuko, Kanazawa, Takashi, Nishisaka, Nobuyasu, Kishimoto, Taketoshi, ...

We have previously reported that the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae, contains a 98-kDa protein, named pierisin, that induces apoptosis in a variety of human cancer cell lines. In the present study,...

Functions of the two glutamate transporters GLAST and GLT-1 in the retina

Harada, Takayuki, Harada, Chikako, Watanabe, Masahiko, Inoue, Yoshiro, Sakagawa, Takashi, Nakayama, Naoki, ...

In the retina, the glutamate transporter GLAST is expressed in Müller cells, whereas the glutamate transporter GLT-1 is found only in cones and various types of bipolar cells. To investigate the...

Phospholipase Cβ4 is specifically involved in climbing fiber synapse elimination in the developing cerebellum

Kano, Masanobu, Hashimoto, Kouichi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Kurihara, Hideo, Offermanns, Stefan, Jiang, Huiping, ...

Elimination of excess climbing fiber (CF)–Purkinje cell synapses during cerebellar development involves a signaling pathway that includes type 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor, Gαq, and the γ...

Impaired motor coordination and persistent multiple climbing fiber innervation of cerebellar Purkinje cells in mice lacking Gαq

Offermanns, Stefan, Hashimoto, Kouichi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Sun, William, Kurihara, Hideo, Thompson, Richard F., ...

Mice lacking the α-subunit of the heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding protein Gq (Gαq) are viable but suffer from ataxia with typical signs of motor discoordination. The anatomy of the...

Distinct roles for the N- and C-terminal regions in the cytotoxicity of pierisin-1, a putative ADP-ribosylating toxin from cabbage butterfly, against mammalian cells

Kanazawa, Takashi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Matsushima-Hibiya, Yuko, Kono, Takuo, Tanaka, Noriaki, Koyama, Kotaro, ...

Pierisin-1 is an 850-aa cytotoxic protein found in the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae, and has been suggested to consist of an N-terminal region with ADP-ribosyltransferase domain and of a...

Mono(ADP-ribosyl)ation of 2′-deoxyguanosine residue in DNA by an apoptosis-inducing protein, pierisin-1, from cabbage butterfly

Takamura-Enya, Takeji, Watanabe, Masahiko, Totsuka, Yukari, Kanazawa, Takashi, Matsushima-Hibiya, Yuko, Koyama, Kotaro, ...

Pierisin-1 is a potent apoptosis-inducing protein derived from the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae. It has been shown that pierisin-1 has an A⋅B structure–function organization like cholera or...

Retention of NMDA receptor NR2 subunits in the lumen of endoplasmic reticulum in targeted NR1 knockout mice

Fukaya, Masahiro, Kato, Akira, Lovett, Chanel, Tonegawa, Susumu, Watanabe, Masahiko

Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system, and the N-methyl-d-aspartate-selective glutamate receptor (NR) consisting of the NR1 subunit and an NR2 or...

Apo E structure determines VLDL clearance and atherosclerosis risk in mice

Knouff, Christopher, Hinsdale, Myron E., Mezdour, Hafid, Altenburg, Michael K., Watanabe, Masahiko, Quarfordt, Steven H., ...

We have generated mice expressing the human apo E4 isoform in place of the endogenous murine apo E protein and have compared them with mice expressing the human apo E3 isoform. Plasma lipid and...

Rescue of abnormal phenotypes of the δ2 glutamate receptor-null mice by mutant δ2 transgenes

Hirai, Hirokazu, Miyazaki, Taisuke, Kakegawa, Wataru, Matsuda, Shinji, Mishina, Masayoshi, Watanabe, Masahiko, ...

The δ2 glutamate receptor (GluRδ2) has a crucial role in cerebellar functions; disruption of GluRδ2 alleles in mice (δ2−/−) impairs synapse formation and long-term depression, which is...

Maintenance of presynaptic function by AMPA receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic activity in adult brain

Kakizawa, Sho, Miyazaki, Taisuke, Yanagihara, Dai, Iino, Masamitsu, Watanabe, Masahiko, Kano, Masanobu

Activity-dependent synaptic modification occurs in both developing and mature animals. For reliable information transfer and storage, however, once established, synapses must be maintained stably. We...

Negative Phototaxis from Blue Light and the Role of Third Rhodopsinlike Pigment in Halobacterium Cutirubrum

Takahashi, Tetsuo, Watanabe, Masahiko, Kamo, Naoki, Kobatake, Yonosuke

Wild-type cells of Halobacterium cutirubrum show phototaxis. In negative phototaxis the cells are repelled by blue-near ultraviolet light, and in positive phototaxis the cells are attracted to...

Functional uncoupling between Ca2+ release and afterhyperpolarization in mutant hippocampal neurons lacking junctophilins

Moriguchi, Shigeki, Nishi, Miyuki, Komazaki, Shinji, Sakagami, Hiroyuki, Miyazaki, Taisuke, Masumiya, Haruko, ...

Junctional membrane complexes (JMCs) composed of the plasma membrane and endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum seem to be a structural platform for channel crosstalk. Junctophilins (JPs) contribute to...

Indispensability of the glutamate transporters GLAST and GLT1 to brain development

Matsugami, Toshiko R., Tanemura, Kentaro, Mieda, Michihiro, Nakatomi, Reiko, Yamada, Keiko, Kondo, Takashi, ...

Previous in vitro studies have shown that the neurotransmitter glutamate is important in brain development. Paradoxically, loss-of-function mouse models of glutamatergic signaling that are generated...

Purification and molecular cloning of a DNA ADP-ribosylating protein, CARP-1, from the edible clam Meretrix lamarckii

Nakano, Tsuyoshi, Matsushima-Hibiya, Yuko, Yamamoto, Masafumi, Enomoto, Shigeki, Matsumoto, Yasuko, Totsuka, Yukari, ...

The cabbage butterflies Pieris rapae and Pieris brassicae have unique enzymes, named pierisin-1 and -2, respectively, that catalyze the ADP-ribosylation of guanine residues of DNA, which has been...

NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation modulates fear learning as well as amygdaloid synaptic plasticity

Nakazawa, Takanobu, Komai, Shoji, Watabe, Ayako M, Kiyama, Yuji, Fukaya, Masahiro, Arima-Yoshida, Fumiko, ...

Phosphorylation of neural proteins in response to a diverse array of external stimuli is one of the main mechanisms underlying dynamic changes in neural circuitry. The NR2B subunit of the NMDA...

CD3 and Immunoglobulin G Fc Receptor Regulate Cerebellar Functions▿

Nakamura, Kazuhiro, Hirai, Hirokazu, Torashima, Takashi, Miyazaki, Taisuke, Tsurui, Hiromichi, Xiu, Yan, ...

The immune and nervous systems display considerable overlap in their molecular repertoire. Molecules originally shown to be critical for immune responses also serve neuronal functions that include...

Trehalose transporter 1, a facilitated and high-capacity trehalose transporter, allows exogenous trehalose uptake into cells

Kikawada, Takahiro, Saito, Ayako, Kanamori, Yasushi, Nakahara, Yuichi, Iwata, Ken-ichi, Tanaka, Daisuke, ...

Trehalose is potentially a useful cryo- or anhydroprotectant molecule for cells and biomolecules such as proteins and nucleotides. A major obstacle to application is that cellular membranes are...

Defective function of GABA-containing synaptic vesicles in mice lacking the AP-3B clathrin adaptor

Nakatsu, Fubito, Okada, Motohiro, Mori, Fumiaki, Kumazawa, Noriko, Iwasa, Hiroto, Zhu, Gang, ...

AP-3 is a member of the adaptor protein (AP) complex family that regulates the vesicular transport of cargo proteins in the secretory and endocytic pathways. There are two isoforms of AP-3: the...

Ca2+ permeability of the channel pore is not essential for the δ2 glutamate receptor to regulate synaptic plasticity and motor coordination

Kakegawa, Wataru, Miyazaki, Taisuke, Hirai, Hirokazu, Motohashi, Junko, Mishina, Masayoshi, Watanabe, Masahiko, ...

The δ2 glutamate receptor (GluRδ2) plays a crucial role in cerebellar functions; mice with a disrupted GluRδ2 gene (GluRδ2−/−) display impaired synapse formation and abrogated long-term...

Junctophilin-mediated channel crosstalk essential for cerebellar synaptic plasticity

Kakizawa, Sho, Kishimoto, Yasushi, Hashimoto, Kouichi, Miyazaki, Taisuke, Furutani, Kazuharu, Shimizu, Hidemi, ...

Functional crosstalk between cell-surface and intracellular ion channels plays important roles in excitable cells and is structurally supported by junctophilins (JPs) in muscle cells. Here, we report...

Enhancement of Both Long-Term Depression Induction and Optokinetic Response Adaptation in Mice Lacking Delphilin

Takeuchi, Tomonori, Ohtsuki, Gen, Yoshida, Takashi, Fukaya, Masahiro, Wainai, Tasuku, Yamashita, Manami, ...

In the cerebellum, Delphilin is expressed selectively in Purkinje cells (PCs) and is localized exclusively at parallel fiber (PF) synapses, where it interacts with glutamate receptor (GluR) δ2 that...

Surgical treatment for injuries of the middle and lower cervical spine

Toh, Eiren, Nomura, Takeshi, Watanabe, Masahiko, Mochida, Joji

We reviewed the surgical treatment of 31 patients with burst fractures or teardrop dislocation fractures in the middle and lower cervical spine. Patients were treated with anterior instrumentation,...

Vitrification is essential for anhydrobiosis in an African chironomid, Polypedilum vanderplanki

Sakurai, Minoru, Furuki, Takao, Akao, Ken-ichi, Tanaka, Daisuke, Nakahara, Yuichi, Kikawada, Takahiro, ...

Anhydrobiosis is an extremely dehydrated state in which organisms show no detectable metabolism but retain the ability to revive after rehydration. Thus far, two hypotheses have been proposed to...

Roles of phospholipase Cβ and NMDA receptor in activity-dependent endocannabinoid release

Hashimotodani, Yuki, Ohno-Shosaku, Takako, Watanabe, Masahiko, Kano, Masanobu

Endocannabinoids are released from postsynaptic neurons, activate presynaptic cannabinoid receptors and cause various forms of short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity throughout the brain. Using...

Postsynaptic GABAB receptor signalling enhances LTD in mouse cerebellar Purkinje cells

Kamikubo, Yuji, Tabata, Toshihide, Kakizawa, Sho, Kawakami, Daisuke, Watanabe, Masahiko, Ogura, Akihiko, ...

Long-term depression (LTD) of excitatory transmission at cerebellar parallel fibre–Purkinje cell synapses is a form of synaptic plasticity crucial for cerebellar motor learning. Around the...

Ablation of NMDA Receptors Enhances the Excitability of Hippocampal CA3 Neurons

Fukushima, Fumiaki, Nakao, Kazuhito, Shinoe, Toru, Fukaya, Masahiro, Muramatsu, Shin-ichi, Sakimura, Kenji, ...

Synchronized discharges in the hippocampal CA3 recurrent network are supposed to underlie network oscillations, memory formation and seizure generation. In the hippocampal CA3 network, NMDA receptors...

Use-dependent amplification of presynaptic Ca2+ signaling by axonal ryanodine receptors at the hippocampal mossy fiber synapse

Shimizu, Hidemi, Fukaya, Masahiro, Yamasaki, Miwako, Watanabe, Masahiko, Manabe, Toshiya, Kamiya, Haruyuki

Presynaptic Ca2+ stores have been suggested to regulate Ca2+ dynamics within the nerve terminals at certain types of the synapse. However, little is known about their mode of activation, molecular...

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 knockin mice develop a progressive neuronal dysfunction with age-dependent accumulation of mutant CaV2.1 channels

Watase, Kei, Barrett, Curtis F., Miyazaki, Taisuke, Ishiguro, Taro, Ishikawa, Kinya, Hu, Yuanxin, ...

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by CAG repeat expansions within the voltage-gated calcium (CaV) 2.1 channel gene. It remains controversial whether the...

Synapse formation and clustering of neuroligin-2 in the absence of GABAA receptors

Patrizi, Annarita, Scelfo, Bibiana, Viltono, Laura, Briatore, Federica, Fukaya, Masahiro, Watanabe, Masahiko, ...

GABAergic synapses are crucial for brain function, but the mechanisms underlying inhibitory synaptogenesis are unclear. Here, we show that postnatal Purkinje cells (PCs) of GABAAα1 knockout (KO)...

Functional contributions of synaptically localized NR2B subunits of the NMDA receptor to synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation in the adult mouse CNS

Miwa, Hideki, Fukaya, Masahiro, Watabe, Ayako M, Watanabe, Masahiko, Manabe, Toshiya

The NMDA-type glutamate receptor is a heteromeric complex composed of the NR1 and at least one of the NR2 subunits. Switching from the NR2B to the NR2A subunit is thought to underlie functional...

Loss of Hrs in the Central Nervous System Causes Accumulation of Ubiquitinated Proteins and Neurodegeneration

Tamai, Keiichi, Toyoshima, Masafumi, Tanaka, Nobuyuki, Yamamoto, Noriko, Owada, Yuji, Kiyonari, Hiroshi, ...

The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) proteins form multimolecular complexes that control multivesicular body formation, endosomal sorting, and transport ubiquitinated membrane...

Left-right asymmetry of the hippocampal synapses with differential subunit allocation of glutamate receptors

Shinohara, Yoshiaki, Hirase, Hajime, Watanabe, Masahiko, Itakura, Makoto, Takahashi, Masami, Shigemoto, Ryuichi

Left-right asymmetry of the brain has been studied mostly through psychological examination and functional imaging in primates, leaving its molecular and synaptic aspects largely unaddressed. Here,...

Phospholipase Cβ3 in mouse and human dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord is a possible target for treatment of neuropathic pain

Shi, Tie-Jun Sten, Liu, Su-Xing Leslie, Hammarberg, Henrik, Watanabe, Masahiko, Xu, Zhi-Qing David, Hökfelt, Tomas

Treatment of neuropathic pain is a major clinical problem. This study shows expression of phospholipase ß3 (PLCß3) in mouse and human DRG neurons, mainly in small ones and mostly with a...

Neurokinin 1 receptor-expressing projection neurons in laminae III and IV of the rat spinal cord have synaptic AMPA receptors that contain GluR2, GluR3 and GluR4 subunits

Todd, Andrew J, Polgár, Erika, Watt, Christine, Bailey, Mark ES, Watanabe, Masahiko

α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPArs), which mediate fast excitatory glutamatergic transmission, are tetramers made from four subunits (GluR1–4 or GluRA–D)....

Peripheral, but Not Central, CB1 Antagonism Provides Food Intake–Independent Metabolic Benefits in Diet-Induced Obese Rats

Nogueiras, Ruben, Veyrat-Durebex, Christelle, Suchanek, Paula M., Klein, Marcella, Tschöp, Johannes, Caldwell, Charles, ...

OBJECTIVE—Blockade of the CB1 receptor is one of the promising strategies for the treatment of obesity. Although antagonists suppress food intake and reduce body weight, the role of central versus...