From People - School of Science, The University of Tokyo
岡 良隆 (おか よしたか)
OKA, Yoshitaka
| Title | Professor |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Department of Biological Sciences (Zoological Science), Graduate School of Science |
|
| |
| Room | 248, Faculty of Science Bldg.2, 2F |
| TEL | +81-3-5841-4438 24438 (ext.) |
Research Field
Neurobiology/Biological Signaling
Research Subject
Mechanisms of biological signaling systems (central nervous system and endocrine system) during adaptation to environments
Main Topics
- Mechanisms of biological signaling systems during
adaptation to environments.
- Neurobiology of peptidergic neurons.
- Biological functions of ion channels and receptors of excitable cells.
Keywords
Neurobiology, Neuroendocrinology, Neurophysiology, Transgenic animals, Molecular biology, Behavior biology, Molecular morphology, Peptidergic neurons
Links
Current Research
Recent Publications
- Recent publications of Oka lab [1]
The peptidergic neurons
The peptidergic neuron systems play essential roles in the adaptive regulation of instinctive behaviors and physiological functions in animals. To understand the biological functions of the peptidergic nervous systems, we now focus on GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) and kisspeptin peptidergic neuron systems in a specific brain region, hypothalamus, by using multidisciplinary neurobiological approaches such as molecular genetic, electrophysiological, molecular neuroendocrinological, and ethological techniques.
Resent Research Topic ~The kisspeptin neurons~
- Cited from Science Links Japan (JST)
[2] Kisspeptin neurons are essential for the coordinated regulation of reproduction and sexual behaviors -Medaka brain teaches us the mechanisms common to all the vertebrate species- Prof. Yoshitaka Oka (Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo et al.) identified a novel physiologically active peptide, kisspeptin, for the first time in the brain of nonmammalian species. Kisspeptin has been reported to facilitate sexual maturation and ovulation by directly stimulating gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in several mammalian species. Here, they used Medaka for the identification of the gene that encodes kisspeptin (KiSS-1 gene) and the anatomical distribution of KiSS-1 mRNA expressing neurons (KiSS-1 neurons). They found two kisspeptin neuronal populations in the hypothalamic brain regions, called NPPv and NVT. They concluded that the Medaka KiSS-1 neuronal system is involved in the central regulation of reproductive functions, and, given many experimental advantages, such as the ease of application of transgenic technology based on the fully-equipped genome database, the Medaka brain may serve as a good model system to study its physiology.