Laboratory for Molecular Mechanisms of Thalamus Development
Laboratory Head
Tomomi SHIMOGORI (Ph.D.)
Correct patterning of the developing brain is crucial for accurate wiring and function. Although the adult brain contains complicated structures and networks, it begins with a simple structure- the neural tube. As it develops the neural tube is divided into several regions, such as telencephalon, diencephalon, midbrain and hindbrain. In each of these regions signaling molecules are secreted from distinct signaling centers, which establish positional information and regulate regional growth. It is interesting that similar signaling molecules are expressed in different regions of the brain and yet control significantly different patterning mechanisms. Furthermore, it is not yet clear how the same signaling molecules show analogous expression in different species; however these species form nervous systems with quite different brain anatomies and neural connections. To understand this, we will reveal the molecular mechanisms that pattern the thalamus in chick and mouse, and that govern its functional roles with the rest of the brain.
- Patterning mechanism of the mouse thalamus
- Evolution of thalamus.
- Role of thalamocortical axons in cortical plate development
- August 13, 2008
- Elucidation of the mechanism of formation of thalamus functional domains as an information mediator for the cerebral cortex
- November 27, 2009
- Deducing the evolution of the cerebral cortex from the thalamus
- Shimogori T and Ogawa M.:
"Gene application with in utero electroporation in mouse embryonic brain."
Dev Growth Differ. 50;499-506. (2008) - Kataoka A and Shimogori T.:
"FGF8 controls regional identity in the developing thalamus."
Development. 135; 2873-81 (2008) - Suzuki-Hirano A and Shimogori T.:
"The role of Fgf8 in telencephalic and diencephalic patterning."
Semin. Cell. Devbiol. 20; 719-725 (2009) - Fabre P, Shimogori T, Charron F.:
"Segregation of ipsilateral retinal ganglion cell axons at the optic chiasm requires the Shh receptor Boc."
J Neurosci. 30; 266-75. (2010) - Shimogori T, Lee DA, Miranda-Angulo A, Yang Y, Jiang L, Yoshida AC, Kataoka A, Mashiko H, Avetisyan M, Qi L, Qian J, and Blackshaw S.:
"A genomic atlas of mouse hypothalamic development."
Nat Neurosci. 13:767-75. (2010) - Toyoda R, Assimacopoulos S, Wilcoxon J, Taylor A, Feldman P, Suzuki-Hirano A, Shimogori T, Grove EA.:
"FGF8 acts as a classic diffusible morphogen to pattern the neocortex."
Development. 137:3439-48. (2010) - Blackshaw S, Scholpp S, Placzek M, Ingraham H, Simerly R, Shimogori T.:
"Molecular pathways controlling development of thalamus and hypothalamus: from neural specification to circuit formation."
J Neurosci. 30:14925-30. (2010) - Suzuki-Hirano A, Ogawa M, Kataoka A, Yoshida AC, Itoh D, Ueno M, Blackshaw S, Shimogori T.:
"Dynamic spatiotemporal gene expression in embryonic mouse thalamus."
J Comp Neurol. 519; 528-43. (2011) - Yuge K, Kataoka A, Yoshida AC, Itoh D, Aggarwal M, Mori S, Blackshaw S, Shimogori T.:
"Region-specific expression in early postnatal mouse thalamus."
J Comp Neurol. 519; 544-61. (2011)