Ogawa Research Unit
Research Areas
| We develop cell/tissue/whole embyo culture systems in which many aspects of cortical development are well replicated in vitro. Using these culture systems, we are investigating the mechanisms of neurogenesis, neural migration, and layer formation in the developing cerebral cortex. With cortical slice culture, we recently demonstrated a unique mode of the initial migration of newly-born neurons. Radial glial cells produce bipolar-shaped neurons in the ventricular zone. The long pial process of young neurons is twisted and generates a spring-like tension capable of pulling the cell bodies to upward when the ventricular process is released from its ventricular surface. We are also investigating the mechanism that radial glial cells sequentially produce different types of cortica projection neurons. |  Unit Leader Masaharu OGAWA (Ph.D.)  |
Research Subjects
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List of Selected Publications
| (1) | Miyata, T. and Ogawa, M.: "Twisting of neocortical progenitor cells underlies a spring-like mechanism for daughter-cell migration" Current Biol. in press (2007) |
| (2) | Mutoh,T., Miyata,T., Kashiwagi,S., Miyawaki,A. and Ogawa,M.: "Dynamic behavior of individual cells in developing oraganotypic brain slices revealed by the photoconvertable protein Kaede" Exp. Neurol. 200, 430-437 (2006) |
| (3) | Morimura, T., Hattori, M., Ogawa, M. and Mikoshiba, K.: "Disabled1 regulates the intracellular trafficking of reelin receptors" J. Biol. Chem., 280, 16901-16908 (2005). |
| (4) | Miyata, T., Kawaguchi, A., Saito, K., Kawano, M., Muto, T., and Ogawa, M.: "Asymmetric production of surface-dividing and non-surface-dividing cortical progenitor cells" Development, 131, 3133-3145 (2004). |
| (5) | Sugitani, Y., Nakai, S., Minowa, O., Nishi, M., Jishage, K., Kawano, H., Mori, K., Ogawa, M., and Noda, T.: "Brn-1 and Brn-2 share key roles in generation and positioning of mouse cortical neurons" Genes & Develop., 16, 1760-1765 (2002). |