Laboratory for Vertebrate Body Plan
Group Director
Shinichi AIZAWA (Ph.D.)
Vertebrate body is composed of three regions: the trunk region that is segmented by somites, the hindbrain/pharyngeal region where two rhombomeres unit with one pharyngeal arch and the rostral head where neither somites nor notochord exist. Each tissue and organ are formed in each germ layer, ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm, under positional informations along anterior/posterior, dorsal/ventral and lef/right axes. The ultimate goal of the researches in this group is to elucidate how the vertebrate body plan is established both ontogenetically and phylogenetically. Vertebrate body develops from rostral head, as it is in all metazoan, and brain is a unique creature in vertebrates. Special attention is paid on molecular mechanisms of head development. The research is mainly based on genetic studies in mice, but studies will be also accomplished with a variety of vertebrates. We aim at the comprehensive understanding of the phylogenetic transition of mechanisms of head development in vertebrates.
- Molecular Mechanisms of Reagionalization in Forebrain and Midbrain
- Molecular Mechanisms of Telencephalon Development
- Molecular Mechanisms of Head Induction in Mammals
- Shibata, M., Nakao, H., Kiyonari H., Abe T., and Aizawa, S.:
"MicroRNA-9 regulates neurogenesis in mouse telencephalon by targeting multiple transcription factors."
J Neurosci, in press. (2011). - Sakurai, Y., Kurokawa, D., Kiyonari, H., Kajikawa, E., Suda, Y. and Aizawa, S.:
"Otx2 and Otx1 protect diencephalon and mesencephalon from caudalization into metencephalon during early brain regionalization."
Dev. Biol. 347, 392-403. (2010). - Suda, Y., Kokura, K., Kimura, J., Kajikawa, E., Inoue, F. and Aizawa, S.:
"The same enhancer regulates the earliest Emx2 expression in caudal forebrain primordium, subsequent expression in dorsal telencephalon and later expression in the cortical ventricular zone."
Development 137, 2939-2949. (2010). - Kurokawa, D., Ohmura, T., Ogino, H., Takeuchi, M., Inoue, A., Inoue, F., Suda, Y. and Aizawa, S.:
"Evolutionary origin of the Otx2 enhancer for its expression in visceral endoderm."
Dev. Biol. 342, 110-120. (2010). - Takeuchi, M., Takahashi, M., Okabe, M. and Aizawa, S.:
"Germ layer patterning in bichir and lamprey; an insight into its evolution in vertebrates."
Developmental Biology 332, 90-102. (2009). - Suda, Y., Kurokawa, D., Takeuchi, M., Kajikawa, E., Kuratani, S., Amemiya, C. and Aizawa, S.:
"Evolution of Otx paralogue usages in early patterning of the vertebrate head."
Developmental Biology 325 282-295. (2009). - Shibata, M., Kurokawa, D., Nakao, H., Ohmura, T. and Aizawa, S.:
"MicroRNA-9 modulates Cajal-Retzius cell differentiation by suppressing Foxg1 expression in mouse medial pallium."
J Neurosci. 28, 10415-21. (2008). - Hirano, M., Hashimoto, S., Yonemura, S., Sabe, H. and Aizawa, S.:
"EPB41L5 functions to post-transcriptionally regulate cadherin and integrin during epithelial-mesenchymal transition."
Journal of Cell Biology 182 1217-1230. (2008). - Kimura-Yoshida, C., Tian, E., Nakano, H., Amazaki, S., Shimokawa, K., Rossant, J., Aizawa, S. and Matsuo, I.:
"Crucial roles of Foxa2 in mouse anterior-posterior axis polarization via regulation of anterior visceral endoderm-specific genes."
PNAS 104, 5919-5924. (2007). - Takasaki, N., Kurokawa, D., Nakayama, R., Nakayama, J. and Aizawa, S.:
"Acetylated YY1 regulates Otx2 expression in anterior neuroectoderm at two cis-sites 90kb apart."
The EMBO Journal 26, 1649-1659. (2007).