Molecular basis on cannibalism

• Project/Area Number: 18K19266
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 42:Veterinary medical science, animal science, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Shimmura Tsuyoshi 東京農工大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 准教授 (50707023)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2021-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2020)
• Budget Amount: ¥6,370,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,470,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥600,000)
• Keywords: 共喰い / カニバリズム / 全ゲノムシークエンス / 集団ゲノム解析 / RNA-seq

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the molecular basis of cannibalism that is widely reported in the animal kingdom. We conducted a large-scale phenotypic analysis of Japanese chicken bioresources, discovered populations showing different frequency of cannibalism in the same breed, and used these populations to integrate the whole genome and RNA-seq by next-generation sequencing. Finally, we clarified the candidate genes and their molecular mechanism that regulate cannibalism.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

21世紀以降、家畜福祉（アニマルウェルフェア）はグローバルスタンダードとなり、ニワトリ用のケージ飼育が世界的に禁止となり、広い空間に数千羽以上を放し飼いにする管理方法への移行が始まっている。しかしながら、そこではニワトリ同士の共喰いが多発するため、この問題行動の遺伝的制御が世界的な課題となっている。本研究は、この課題を遺伝的に解決するための基盤を明らかにした。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] Uppsala University(スウェーデン)
• [Int'l Joint Research] Columbia University(米国)
• [Int'l Joint Research] ウプサラ大学(スウェーデン)
• [Journal Article] The quail genome: insights into social behaviour, seasonal biology and infectious disease response (2020)
  • Author(s): Morris KM, Hindle MM, Boitard S, Burt DW, Danner AF, Eory L, Forrest HL, Gourichon D, Gros J, Hillier L, Jaffredo T, Khoury H, Leterrier C, Loudon A, Mason AS, Meddle SL, Minvielle1 F, Minx P, Pitel F, Seiler JP, Shimmura T, Tomlinson C, Vignal A, Webster RG, Yoshimura T, Warren WC, Smith J
  • Journal Title: BMC Biology Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-14
  • DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-0743-4
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Seasonal changes in NRF2 antioxidant pathway regulates winter depression-like behavior (2020)
  • Author(s): Nakayama T, Okimura K, Shen J, Guh Y-J, Tamai K, Shimada A, Minou S, Okushi Y, Shimmura T, Furukawa Y, Kadofusa N, Sato A, Nishimura T, Tanaka M, Nakayama K, Shiina N, Yamamoto N, Loudon A.S, Nishiwaki-Ohkawa T, Shinomiya A, Nabeshima T, Nakane Y, and Yoshimura T
  • Journal Title: PNAS Volume: - Issue: 17 Pages: 1-10
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2000278117
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Cholecystokinin induces crowing in chickens (2019)
  • Author(s): Shimmura T, Tamura M, Ohashi S, Sasaki A, Yamanaka T, Nakao N, Ihara K, Okamura S, Yoshimura T.
  • Journal Title: Sci Rep. Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 3978-3978
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40746-9
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Seasonally regulation of the lncRNA LDAIR modulates self-protective behaviors during the breeding season. (2019)
  • Author(s): Nakayama T., Shimmura, T., Shinomiya, A., Okimura, K., Takehana,Y., Furukawa, Y., Shimo, T., Senga, T., Nakatsukasa, M., Nishimura, T., Tanaka, M., Okubo, K., Kamei, Y., Naruse, K. and Yoshimura, T.
  • Journal Title: Nature Eco. Evol. Volume: 3 Issue: 5 Pages: 845-852
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-0866-6
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Action spectrum for photoperiodic control of thyroid-stimulating hormone in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) (2019)
  • Author(s): Nakane Yusuke、Shinomiya Ai、Ota Wataru、Ikegami Keisuke、Shimmura Tsuyoshi、Higashi Sho-Ichi、Kamei Yasuhiro、Yoshimura Takashi
  • Journal Title: PLOS ONE Volume: 14 Issue: 9 Pages: 845-852
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222106
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Seasonal changes in color perception (2018)
  • Author(s): Shimmura T, Nakayama T, Shinomiya A, Yoshimura T
  • Journal Title: General and Comparative Endcrinology Volume: 260 Pages: 171-174
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.12.010
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] 動物とロボットのインタラクションを目指して (2020)
  • Author(s): 新村毅
  • Organizer: 動物行動学会
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Toward Animal Computer Interaction (2019)
  • Author(s): Shimmura T
  • Organizer: The 14th International Conference on Environmental Enrichment
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] Toward multi-level understanding of innate vocalization in chickens (2018)
  • Author(s): Shimmura T
  • Organizer: Songbird workshop 2018
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] 鳥類の先天的発声の制御機構：集団・個体・遺伝子発現・ゲノム (2018)
  • Author(s): 新村毅
  • Organizer: 第43回日本比較内分泌学会大会
  • Invited
• [Remarks] 研究グループHP
  • URL: https://tsuyoshishimmura.wixsite.com/website-1
• [Remarks] 研究室HP
  • URL: https://tsuyoshishimmura.wixsite.com/website-1