TOP ＞ Symposia

Symposia 連合大会・多分野交流委員会企画 3S7-1 Novel chemical-biological technologies for elucidating physiological roles of neurotransmitter receptors Shigeki Kiyonaka Dept Synth Chem & Biol Chem, Grad Sch Eng, Kyoto Univ In memory formation or neurological disorders, neurotransmitter receptor function is dynamically regulated or dysregulated, respectively. Thus, developing new methods for visualizing and regulating neurotransmitter receptors is highly desired. Our research purpose is developing new technologies for visualizing neurotransmitter receptors or artificially regulating their function by chemical-biological approaches. For visualizing neurotransmitter receptors, we recently developed small chemical compounds that selectively label the AMPA-type glutamate receptors endogenously expressed in live neurons. These small compounds easily penetrate into brain tissue, enabling visualization of endogenous AMPA receptors in the brain. Using these compounds, we revealed constitutive diffusion dynamics of neurotransmitter receptors endogenously expressed in hippocampal slilces. With respect to artificial regulation of neurotransmitter receptors, we recently developed a new chemogenetic technology, for allosteric activation of glutamate receptors. Using our chemogenetic technology, we succeeded in selectively activating specific glutamate receptors in target neurons. We believe that these methods will become useful tools for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying memory formation and also for diagnosing neurological and mental disorders.