| Project/Area Number |
25891009
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Evolutionary biology
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2013-08-30 – 2016-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,730,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥630,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
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| Keywords | 配偶子融合 / 群体性ボルボックス目 / ボルボックス系列 / 異型配偶化 / GCS1 / ゴニウム / 有性生殖 / 進化 / 藻類 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Oogamy, which involves the fusion of a large non-motile female gamete (egg) and a small motile male gamete (sperm), appears to have successively evolved from isogamy (equal sized gametes) and anisogamy (large and small gametes). To elucidate the evolutionary transition of the gamete fusion mechanism , this project focused on the volvocine green algae, because they comprise a series of genera with all the three modes of gamete fusion. Using isogamous volvocine Gonium, this project first focus on the gamete fusion mechanism itself and clarified the cellular basis for male-specific action of the gamete fusion protein GCS1, and then established a method to isolate mating structures from both sex gametes. Moreover, this project identified an orthologous gene of isogamous gamete adhesion protein FUS1 in anisogamous Eudorina, providing insight into the molecular basis of evolution of gamete fusion mechanism associated with the establishment of male-female gamete dimorphism.
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