Unveiling the evolution of monoecious/dioecious species based on the analysis of OTOKOGI genes from non-model species of Volvox

• Project/Area Number: 15K14580
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Evolutionary biology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Nozaki Hisayoshi 東京大学, 大学院理学系研究科(理学部), 准教授 (40250104)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000)
• Keywords: 雌雄同体 / 雌雄遺体 / ホモタリック / ヘテロタリック / OTOKOGI遺伝子 / 進化 / ボルボックス / 祖先状態再構成 / 雌雄胴体 / 雌雄異体 / 雌雄同体種 / 雌雄異体種 / MID遺伝子 / 性決定遺伝子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Since the homothallic species Volvox africanus and the heterothallic species V. reticuliferus are closely related to each other, biological comparison of these species seemed fruitful for resolving evolution of homothallism/heterothallism in Volvox. The present research demonstrated the presence of MID/OTOKOGI ortholog in the homothallic species of Volvox for the first time. In addition, our analysis based on ancestral state reconstruction in the whole volvocine algae suggested that homothallism might have evolved from heterothallism in the ancestor of these two species. In conclusion, we proposed a hypotheses that homothallic V. fricanus might have evolved from male of the ancestral heterothallic species (Yamamnoto et al. 2017, PLoS ONE).

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] アリゾナ大学/Donald Danforth Plant Science Center(米国)
• [Journal Article] Anisogamy evolved with a reduced sex-determining region in volvocine green algae (2018)
  • Author(s): Takashi Hamaji, Hiroko Kawai-Toyooka, Haruka Uchimura, Masahiro Suzuki, Hideki Noguchi, Yohei Minakuchi, Atsushi Toyoda, Asao Fujiyama, Shin-ya Miyagishima, James G. Umen, Hisayoshi Nozaki
  • Journal Title: Communications Biology Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Pages: 17-17
  • DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0019-5
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Molecular evolutionary analysis of a gender-limited MID ortholog from the homothallic species Volvox africanus with male and monoecious spheroids (2017)
  • Author(s): Kayoko Yamamoto, Hiroko Kawai-Toyooka, Takashi Hamaji, Yuki Tsuchikane, Toshiyuki Mori, Fumio Takahashi, Hiroyuki Sekimoto, Patrick J. Ferris, Hisayoshi Nozaki
  • Journal Title: PLoS One Volume: 12 Issue: 6 Pages: e0180313-e0180313
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180313
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Repeated evolution and reversibility of self-fertilization in the volvocine green algae* (2017)
  • Author(s): Hanschen Erik R.、Herron Matthew D.、Wiens John J.、Nozaki Hisayoshi、Michod Richard E.
  • Journal Title: Evolution Volume: 72 Issue: 2 Pages: 386-398
  • DOI: 10.1111/evo.13394
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Rediscovery of the “ancestral Volvox” species: Morphology and phylogenetic position of Pleodorina sphaerica (Volvocales, Chlorophyceae) from Thailand. (2017)
  • Author(s): Nozaki, H., Mahakham, W., Athibai, S., Yamamoto, K., Takusagawa, M., Misumi, O., Herron, M. D., Rosenzweig, F., Kawachi, M.
  • Journal Title: Phycologia Volume: 56 Issue: 4 Pages: 469-475
  • DOI: 10.2216/17-3.1
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] A New Morphological Type of Volvox from Japanese Large Lakes and Recent Divergence of this Type and V. ferrisii in Two Different Freshwater Habitats. (2016)
  • Author(s): Nozaki H, Ueki N, Isaka N, Saigo T, Yamamoto K, Matsuzaki R, Takahashi F, Wakabayashi K, Kawachi M.
  • Journal Title: PLoS One Volume: 11 Issue: 11 Pages: e0167148-e0167148
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167148
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Delineating a new heterothallic species of Volvox (volvocaceae, chlorophyceae) using new strains of “Volvox africanus” (2015)
  • Author(s): Nozaki H, Matsuzaki R, Yamamoto K, Kawachi M, Takahashi F
  • Journal Title: PLOS One Volume: 10 Issue: 11 Pages: 0142632-0142632
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142632
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Presentation] 性進化と多細胞化のモデル生物群「緑藻ボルボックス目」のボルボックス2種のゲノム解析 (2018)
  • Author(s): 山本荷葉子、浜地貴志、豊岡博子、新垣陽子、野口英樹、水口洋平、豊田敦、野崎久義
  • Organizer: 「新学術先進ゲノム支援」2017拡大班会議
• [Presentation] Volvocine green algae inviting you to 200 MYA time travel for evolution of female-male and muticellularity (2018)
  • Author(s): Nozaki, H.
  • Organizer: Biology Colloquium, Department of Biological Sciences, Faulty of Science, National University of Singapore
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] タイ王国産ボルボックス類２種 (2017)
  • Author(s): 野崎久義、Wuttipong Mahakham、Sujeephon Athibai、田草川真理、三角修己、河地正伸
  • Organizer: 日本本植物分類学会第16 回大会
  • Place of Presentation: 京都大学吉田キャンパス（京都府京都市）
  • Year and Date: 2017-03-10
• [Presentation] Mating type locus-like regions in the homothallic species Volvox africanus (2017)
  • Author(s): Yamamoto, K., Hamaji, T., Kawai-Toyooka, H., Noguchi, H., Minakuchi, Y., Toyoda, A. and Nozaki, H.
  • Organizer: The Fourth International Volvox Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Evolution of self-fertilization in the volvocine green algae (2017)
  • Author(s): Hanschen, E., Herron, M. D., Wiens, J. J., Ferris, P. J., Nozaki, H. and Michod, R. E.
  • Organizer: The Fourth International Volvox Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Systematics and evolution of freshwater algae (2017)
  • Author(s): Nozaki, H.
  • Organizer: Special Seminar, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] ボルボックス雌雄異体・同体種の進化の分子遺伝学的基盤の解明をめざして (2016)
  • Author(s): 山本荷葉子、森稔幸、浜地貴志、豊岡博子、野崎久義
  • Organizer: 日本植物学会第80回大会
  • Place of Presentation: 沖縄コンベンションセンター（沖縄県宜野湾市）
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-16
  • Invited
• [Presentation] ボルボックス非モデル種のヘテロタリック及びホモタリックにおけるMIDオーソログ解析 (2016)
  • Author(s): 山本荷葉子、豊岡博子、森稔幸、野崎久義
  • Organizer: 日本藻類学会第40回大会
  • Place of Presentation: 日本歯科大学生命歯学部、東京都千代田区
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-19
• [Presentation] ボルボックスの仲間を用いた多細胞化と雌雄性の進化 (2016)
  • Author(s): 野崎久義
  • Organizer: 第４回細胞凝集研究会
  • Place of Presentation: 札幌全日空ホテル（北海道札幌市）
  • Invited
• [Presentation] 新規培養株を用いた”Volvox africanus” のsexual types (Starr 1971) の再調査 (2015)
  • Author(s): 野崎久義、松﨑令、山本荷葉子、高橋文雄
  • Organizer: 第12回クラミドモナス研究会
  • Place of Presentation: 中央大学理工学部、東京都
  • Year and Date: 2015-09-03
• [Presentation] Taxonomic re-examination of two sexual types of “Volvox africanus” by Starr (1971), based on the use of new strains from Lake Biwa, Japan (2015)
  • Author(s): Nozaki, H., Matsuzaki, R., Yamamoto, K. and Takahashi, F.
  • Organizer: hird International Volvox Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  • Year and Date: 2015-08-19
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Identification and characterization of the MID orthologs from two homothallic species of Volvox (2015)
  • Author(s): Yamamoto, K., Mori, T., Kawai-Toyooka, H. and Nozaki, H
  • Organizer: hird International Volvox Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  • Year and Date: 2015-08-19
  • Int'l Joint Research