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Exploring role of Hiwi-piRNAs and transposon in cancer

Research Project

Project/Area Number 15K18410
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Research Field Tumor biology
Research InstitutionOsaka University

Principal Investigator

Anand Amit  大阪大学, 生命機能研究科, 招聘教員 (30746516)

Project Period (FY) 2015-04-01 – 2016-03-31
Project Status Discontinued (Fiscal Year 2015)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000)
Fiscal Year 2017: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000)
Keywordstelomere maintenance / transposon / tumor development / germline / heterochromatin Protein
Outline of Annual Research Achievements

Rationale and design:
Loss of telomere maintenance and transposon derepression are known to be causal factors for tumor development. The drosophila telomeres are unique in animal kingdom as they are made up of transposons. The telomere maintenance in Drosophila germline and in human embryonic stem cells share many regulatory core components such as heterochromatin Protein, HP1 and a histone methyl transferase, SetDB. We investigated HP1a role in the Drosophila germline in maintaining stem cells and fertility.
Work done and Results:
We found that HP1a loss results in female sterility and defects in the germline stem cell maintenance and division. The HP1a loss leads to derepression of telomeric transposons and telomere elongation. Our results show that HP1a suppresses the telomeric transposons in piRNA dependent manner, by stabilizing the telomeic piRNAs in nucleus bound to Piwi protein. We then analyzed RNA expressing profile in HP1 knockdown and Piwi-bound small RNAs in the gonads lacking HP1a function in the germline cells. These experiments gave us a clear idea that HP1a absence in germline predominantly causes loss of piRNAs arising form the telomeric regions. Biochemical and genetic experiments, done in the grant period, showed that HP1a is not required for the transcription of precursors or their transport to the site of processing. Rather, HP1a absence in germline leads to loss of Piwi-bound telomeric piRNAs, strongly suggesting that HP1a specifically stabilizes the telomeric piRNAs (Manuscript in preparation)

Report

(1 results)
  • 2015 Annual Research Report

Research Products

(1 results)

All 2016

All Presentation (1 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results)

  • [Presentation] Drosophila HP1a suppress telomeric transposons via piRNA pathway2016

    • Author(s)
      Anand Amit
    • Organizer
      the Young Investigator's Meeting
    • Place of Presentation
      Gurgaon, India
    • Year and Date
      2016-02-28
    • Related Report
      2015 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research

URL: 

Published: 2015-04-16   Modified: 2017-01-06  

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