Elucidation of hormonal regulation of feather formation in chickens

• Project/Area Number: 17K07471
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Morphology/Structure
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: TAKEUCHI Sakae 岡山大学, 自然科学研究科, 教授 (20226989)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000)
• Keywords: 皮膚付属器 / 性差 / 遅羽性 / 羽形成 / 性ホルモン / メラノコルチン / 甲状腺ホルモン / プロラクチン / メラノコルチン系 / 体色 / メラノサイト / 進化 / 甲状腺ホルモン系 / エストロゲン / 遅羽遺伝子 / 部域差 / ホルモン制御

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The feathers of birds are skin appendages composed of dead epidermal cells like mammalian hair. In chickens, there is a marked sex difference in the saddle feathers. In this study, we used this saddle feather as a model system to analyze the molecular mechanism of the formation of sex difference in the skin appendage. In addition, we analyzed the molecular mechanism of the late feathering widely used for autosexing of day-old chicks in hatcheries. Our results suggest that various hormone systems such as sex hormones and melanocortins cross-talk with each other to form proper feathers, and that slow feathering is caused by quantitative changes in prolactin signaling.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

毛や羽のような皮膚付属器は，生える場所に応じ多様な形態と生物学的機能をもつと共に，様々な淘汰圧を受ける極めて重要な構造体である。本研究において，その適材適所および適時な形成が様々なホルモン系のクロストーク，関わりによってなされていることが明らかになったことは，基礎生物学的に重要であると考えられる。さらに，本研究成果は，応用面として，脱毛や育毛といった医療・美容にも有用な知見となることが期待できる

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Discovery of a new nucleotide substitution in the MC1R gene and haplotype distribution in native and non‐Japanese chicken breeds (2020)
  • Author(s): Kabir M. H.、Takenouchi A.、Haqani M. I.、Nakamura Y.、Takeuchi S.、Tsudzuki M.
  • Journal Title: Animal Genetics Volume: 51 Issue: 2 Pages: 235-248
  • DOI: 10.1111/age.12906
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Runx3 regulates folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis in granulosa cells of immature mice. (2019)
  • Author(s): Fumiya Ojima, Yuka Saito, Yukiko Tsuchiya, Maho Ogoshi, Hiroshi Fukamachi, Kenichi Inagaki, Fumio Otsuka, Sakae Takeuchi and Sumio Takahashi
  • Journal Title: Cell Tissue Res. Volume: 375 Issue: 3 Pages: 743-754
  • DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2947-2
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Changes in prolactin receptor homodimer availability may cause late feathering in chickens. (2019)
  • Author(s): Okamura A, Masumoto A, Takenouchi A, Kudo T, Aizawa S, Ogoshi M, Takahashi S, Tsudzuki M, Takeuchi S
  • Journal Title: Gen Comp Endocrinol. Volume: 272 Pages: 109-116
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.12.011
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Adenosine stimulates neuromedin U mRNA expression in the rat pars tuberalis (2019)
  • Author(s): Aizawa Sayaka、Gu Tingting、Kaminoda Arisa、Fujioka Ryuya、Ojima Fumiya、Sakata Ichiro、Sakai Takafumi、Ogoshi Maho、Takahashi Sumio、Takeuchi Sakae
  • Journal Title: Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology Volume: 496 Pages: 110518-110518
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110518
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] ニワトリにおける遅羽性の分子メカニズム (2019)
  • Author(s): 岡村彩子・増本絢音・竹之内 惇・相澤清香・御輿真穂・高橋純夫・都築政起・竹内 栄
  • Organizer: 第71回日本動物学会中国四国支部大会
• [Presentation] ニワトリメラノサイトのトランスクリプトーム解析 (2019)
  • Author(s): 内田凌平、游李、竹之内惇、相澤清香、高橋純夫、都築政起、竹内栄
  • Organizer: 第44回日本比較内分泌学会及びシンポジウム
• [Presentation] ニワトリにおける遅羽性の分子メカニズム (2019)
  • Author(s): 岡村彩子・増本絢音・竹之内惇・相澤清香・御輿真穂・高橋純夫・都築政起・竹内栄
  • Organizer: 日本動物学会中国四国支部広島大会