Investigation roles of the miRNA pathway in maternal-to-xygotic transition

• Project/Area Number: 15K14530
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: Kumamoto University
• Principal Investigator: Nakamura Akira 熊本大学, 発生医学研究所, 教授 (90323245)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2016)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000)
• Keywords: ショウジョウバエ / CRISPR-Cas9 / miRNA / ゲノム編集 / 母性-胚性遷移 / マイクロRNA

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The maternal-to-Zygotic transition (MZT) involves degradation of maternal product to switch zygotic gene-oriented development, and is the conserved process in animal development. To investigate roles of the miRNA pathway genes in MZT in the Drosophila embryo, we generated several GFP knocked-in flies for Dcr-1, Ago1 and Gw. We knocked down these GFP fusion protein specilicaally in early embryogenesis by activating deGradFP system, which poly-ubiquitinates GFP-fusion proteins to promote their degradation. We found that when GFP-tagged Gw was knocked down, about 50% of embryos stalled embryogenesis at the stage during which the MZT starts, suggesting that the miRNA pathway is indeed involved in the MZT.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] The evolutionally-conserved function of group B1 Sox family members confers the unique role of Sox2 in mouse ES cells (2016)
  • Author(s): 2.Niwa, H., Nakamura, A., Urata, M., Shirae-Kurabayashi, M., Kuraku, S. and Ohtsuka, S.
  • Journal Title: BMC Evol. Biol. Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Pages: 173-173
  • DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0755-4
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] The nutrient-responsive hormone CCHamide-2 controls growth by regulating insulin-like peptides in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster (2015)
  • Author(s): Sano H, Nakamur A, Texada M, Truma J, Ishimoto H, Kamikouchi A, Nibu Y, Kume K, Ida T, Kojima M
  • Journal Title: PLoS Genetics Volume: 11 Issue: 5 Pages: 1-26
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005209
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Efficient endocytic uptake and maturation in Drosophila oocytes requires Dynamitin/p50. (2015)
  • Author(s): Liu, G., Sanghavi, P., Bollinger, K. E., Perry, L., Marshall, B., Roon, P., Tanaka, T., Nakamura, A. and Gonsalvez, G. B.
  • Journal Title: Genetics Volume: 201 Issue: 2 Pages: 631-649
  • DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.180018
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] ショウジョウバエの小胞型H/Cl交換輸送体Clc-bは長鎖dsRNAを介したRNAi誘導に必要である (2017)
  • Author(s): 田中翼、植田忠大、大津佐千子、反町典子、中村輝、Katija Bruckner
  • Organizer: 第17回日本RNA学会年会
  • Place of Presentation: ホテルライフォート札幌
  • Year and Date: 2017-07-15
• [Presentation] A novel genetic strategy to investigate embryonic roles of maternal factors with essential functions in oogenesis (2016)
  • Author(s): Nakamura, A. and Yoshitani, T.
  • Organizer: 12th Japanese Drosophila Research Conference
  • Place of Presentation: 立教大学
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-09
• [Presentation] An oogenic stage-specific RNAi screening for novel maternal-effect genes regulating germ cell development in the Drosophila embryo (2016)
  • Author(s): Aimi, K., Hanyu-nakamura, K., and Nakamura, A.
  • Organizer: 12th Japanese Drosophila Research Conference
  • Place of Presentation: 立教大学
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-09
• [Presentation] OOcyte polarity establishment and germ plasm assembly require the endocytic regulation of the yolk protein receptor Yolkless (2016)
  • Author(s): Tanaka, T., Otsu, S., Tani, N., and Nakamura, A.
  • Organizer: 12th Japanese Drosophila Research Conference
  • Place of Presentation: 立教大学
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-09
• [Presentation] 新規の遺伝学ツールを用いたショウジョウバエ初期胚におけるRNAサイレンシング因子の機能解析 (2015)
  • Author(s): 中村 輝
  • Organizer: 第17回日本RNA学会年会
  • Place of Presentation: ホテルライフォート札幌
  • Year and Date: 2015-07-15
• [Presentation] The nutrient-responsive hormone CCHamide-2 controls growth by regulating insulin-like peptides in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster. (2015)
  • Author(s): Sano, H., Nakamura, A., Texada, M., Truman, J. W., Ishimoto, H., Kamikouchi, A., Nibu, Y., Kume, K., Ida, T. and Kojima, M.
  • Organizer: 第48回日本発生生物学会年会
  • Place of Presentation: つくば国際会議場
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-02
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Remarks] 熊本大学発生医学研究所 研究室紹介ページ
  • URL: http://www.imeg.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/bunya_top/germline_development/