N-cadherin localization in taste buds of mouse circumvallate papillae.

Taste buds, the receptor organs for taste, contain 50-100 taste bud cells. Although these cells undergo continuous turnover, the structural and functional integrity of taste buds is maintained. The molecular mechanisms by which synaptic connectivity between taste buds and afferent fibers is formed and maintained remain ambiguous.

β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) suppresses cell cycle progression of non-neuronal cells.

β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), a natural non-proteinaceous amino acid, is a neurotoxin produced by a wide range of cyanobacteria living in various environments. BMAA is a candidate environmental risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson-dementia complex. Although BMAA is known to exhibit weak neuronal excitotoxicity via glutamate receptors, the underlying mechanism of toxicity has yet to be fully elucidated.

Thrombospondin Type-1 Repeat Domain-Containing Proteins Are Strongly Expressed in the Head Region of Hydra.

The head region of Hydra, the hypostome, is a key body part for developmental control and the nervous system. We herein examined genes specifically expressed in the head region of Hydra oligactis using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cloning. A total of 1414 subtracted clones were sequenced and found to be derived from at least 540 different genes by BLASTN analyses.

The nerve ring in cnidarians: its presence and structure in hydrozoan medusae.

In our previous studies of the Hydra nerve ring, we proposed the following hypothesis: "The nerve ring in the hypostome of Hydra is a central nervous system (CNS)-like neuronal structure." Related to this hypothesis, we have started to survey the nerve ring immunocytochemically using antibodies against neuropeptides throughout the whole phylum of cnidarians. In the present study, we describe nerve rings in hydrozoan medusae.

Thiamine deficiency induces massive cell death in the olfactory bulbs of mice.

Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency (TD) leads to focal brain necrosis in particular brain regions in humans and in experimental animal models. The precise mechanism of the selective topographic vulnerability triggered by TD still remains unclear. We examined the distribution pattern of cell death in the brains of mice in an experimental model of TD using anti-single-strand DNA immunohistochemistry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling methods.

Immunohistochemical evidence for the existence of novel mammalian neuropeptides related to the Hydra GLW-amide neuropeptide family.

The GLW-amide family is a neuropeptide family found in cnidarian species and is characterized by the C-terminal amino acid sequence -Gly-Leu-Trp-NH(2). To detect mammalian peptides structurally related to the GLW-amide family, we examined rat brain by immunohistochemistry with an anti-GLW-amide antibody. GLW-amide-like immunoreactivity (GLW-amide-LI) was observed in thin varicose fibers in some regions of the brain.

Exposure to hexanal odor induces extraordinary Fos expression in the medial preoptic area and amygdala of Fyn tyrosine kinase-deficient mice.

Our previous study revealed that the odor of hexanal, which is derived from the wood chips used as bedding, influenced mouse maternal behavior and induced the neonatal death of Fyn-deficient (fyn(-/-)) pups born of fyn(-/-) parents. To clarify what regions of the brain are involved in this effect, we examined which brain regions of fyn(-/-) and Fyn-heterozygous (fyn(+/-)) females were activated by hexanal odor using Fos immunohistochemistry. Hexanal induced Fos immunoreactivity in the primary olfactory cortex and in the medial and central amygdala of both fyn(+/-) and fyn(-/-) mice.