| Budget Amount *help |
¥18,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥14,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥4,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥6,240,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,440,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥5,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥6,760,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,560,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
piRNA (PIWI interacting RNA) is a germ cell-specific small RNA in whose biogenesis PIWI (P element wimpy testis) family proteins play crucial roles. MILI (mouse Piwi like), one of the mouse PIWI family members, is indispensable for the piRNA production, DNA methylation of retrotransposons through the piRNA, and spermatogenesis. To analyze the molecular function of MILI in piRNA biogenesis, we utilized germline stem cells (GS cells), which are derived from testicular stem cells and possess spermatogonial phenotype. We found that glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 2 (GPAT2), a mitochondrial outer membrane protein for lysophosphatidic acid, bound to MILI and that gene knockdown of GPAT2 brought about the impaired piRNA production in GS cells. GPAT2 is not only one of the MILI bound proteins but also a protein essential for the primary piRNA biogenesis. In addition, MVH (mouse vasa homologues) helicase activity is also indispensable for piRNA production and spermatogenesis.
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