Classic cadherins mediate selective intracortical circuit formation in the mouse neocortex

Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of selective intracortical circuitry is one of the important questions in neuroscience research. "Barrel nets" are recently identified intracortical axonal trajectories derived from layer 2/3 neurons in layer 4 of the primary somatosensory (barrel) cortex. Axons of layer 2/3 neurons are preferentially distributed in the septal regions of layer 4 of the barrel cortex, where they show whisker-related patterns. Because cadherins have been viewed as potential candidates that mediate the formation of selective neuronal circuits, here we examined the role of cadherins in the formation of barrel nets. We disrupted the function of cadherins by expressing dominant-negative cadherin (dn-cadherin) using in utero electroporation and found that barrel nets were severely disrupted. Confocal microscopic analysis revealed that expression of dn-cadherin reduced the density of axons in septal regions in layer 4 of the barrel cortex. We also found that cadherins were important for the formation, rather than the maintenance, of barrel nets. Our results uncover an important role of cadherins in the formation of local intracortical circuitry in the neocortex. © 2014 The Author

Design of the Grand Roof at Tokyo Station

p. 1242-1253This paper describes the design method of long and unique shape membrane structure in capital Tokyo. The membrane structure, designed to create an impression of Japan's traditional Washi paper, forms gentle curves of varying size and inclination, to become the new face of the Yaesu side of the Tokyo Station. To achieve such a light membrane structure in Japan where many natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons occur frequently, we adopted some ideas in order to solve technical problems.Sadamoto, M.; Yoshie, K.; Kohno, T.; Muraoka, T.; Takanashi, M. (2010). Design of the Grand Roof at Tokyo Station. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/706

Cell-autonomous control of intracellular temperature by unsaturation of phospholipid acyl chains

【研究成果】寒くなると細胞は自ら温度を上げようとする --細胞における新たな温度調節機構の発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-03-16.Intracellular temperature affects a wide range of cellular functions in living organisms. However, it remains unclear whether temperature in individual animal cells is controlled autonomously as a response to fluctuations in environmental temperature. Using two distinct intracellular thermometers, we find that the intracellular temperature of steady-state Drosophila S2 cells is maintained in a manner dependent on Δ9-fatty acid desaturase DESAT1, which introduces a double bond at the Δ9 position of the acyl moiety of acyl-CoA. The DESAT1-mediated increase of intracellular temperature is caused by the enhancement of F₁F₀-ATPase-dependent mitochondrial respiration, which is coupled with thermogenesis. We also reveal that F₁F₀-ATPase-dependent mitochondrial respiration is potentiated by cold exposure through the remodeling of mitochondrial cristae structures via DESAT1-dependent unsaturation of mitochondrial phospholipid acyl chains. Based on these findings, we propose a cell-autonomous mechanism for intracellular temperature control during environmental temperature changes