A synaptic potentiation by a protein factor distinct from those induced by neurotrophins

Surface-displayed antibodies as a tool for simultaneously controlling the arrangement and morphology of multiple cell types with microscale precision

Cell-cell interactions are considered to play critical roles in the development and physiology of most tissues. However, it is not straightforward to analyze cell-cell interactions with conventional cell culture in which cells are randomly distributed. To overcome this limitation, we employed here an antibody display to sort different cell types onto separate regions on a single substrate with microscale precision, taking advantage of the specific recognition of cell surface markers by surface-displayed antibodies. The results obtained with two sets of cell combinations, T cell/myelomonocytoid cell and neuron/astrocyte, demonstrate that antibody displays are feasible to establish a site-addressable coculture.

Biomodeling System - Interaction Between Living Neuronal Networks and the Outer World

Rat hippocampal neurons reorganized into complex networks in a culture dish with 64 planar microelectrodes and the electrical activity of neurons were recorded from individual sites. Multi-site recording system for extracellular action potentials was used for recording the activity of living neuronal networks and for applying input from the outer world to the network. The living neuronal network was able to distinguish among patterns of evoked action potentials based on different input, suggesting that the living neuronal network can express several pattern independently, meaning that it has fundamental mechanisms for intelligent information processing. We are developing a “biomodeling system,” in which a living neuronal network is connected to a moving robot with premised control rules corresponding to a genetically provided interface of neuronal networks to peripheral systems. Premised rules are described in fuzzy logic and the robot can generate instinctive behavior, avoiding collision. Sensor input from the robot body was sent to a neuronal network, and the robot moved based on commands from the living neuronal network. This is a good modeling system to analyze interaction between biological information processing and electrical devices.