The Germline: Its Developmental Cycle and Epigenome Network

2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: The germline: its developmental cycle and epigenome network
• Project/Area Number: 19061001
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Kyushu University (2010-2012); National Institute of Genetics (2007-2009)
• Principal Investigator: SASAKI Hiroyuki 九州大学, 生体防御医学研究所, 教授 (30183825)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MATSUI Yasuhisa 東北大学, 加齢医学研究所, 教授 (40241575)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): ABE Kuniya 独立行政法人理化学研究所, 動物変異動態解析技術開発チーム, チームリーダー (40240915) ; OGURA Atsuo 独立行政法人理化学研究所, 遺伝工学基盤技術室, 室長 (20194524) ; NAKATSUJI Norio 京都大学, 物質-細胞統合システム拠点, 教授 (80237312) ; NAKANO Toru 大阪大学, 生命機能研究科, 教授 (00172370)
• Project Period (FY): 2007 – 2012
• Keywords: 発生・分化 / 発現制御 / 生殖細胞 / エピゲノム / リプログラミング

Research Abstract

As the management team of the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas titled “The Germline: Its Developmental Cycle and Epigenome Network”, we organized various scientific and social activities and promoted three major research projects: 1) cell fate determination for germline development; 2) epigenomic regulation in gametogenesis and meiosis; 3) epigenomic reprogramming in fertilization and early development. Our major scientific outcomes are: in vitro induction of primordial germ cells from pluripotent stem cells; discovery and correction of aberrant X-chromosome inactivation in cloned mice; dissection of the epigenomic regulatory networks in germ cells. To share the latest research results with the community, we made a website in Japanese and English and hosted four domestic and one international symposium. We also supported young scientists’ forum.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Offspring from oocytes derived from in vitro primordial germ cell-like cells in mice (2012)
  • Author(s): Hayashi, K., Ogushi, S., Kurimoto, K., Shimamoto, S., Ohta, H., Saitou, M
  • Journal Title: Science Volume: 338 Pages: 971-975
  • DOI: doi:10.1126/science.1226889
• [Journal Article] PGC7 binds histone H3K9me2 to protect against conversion of 5MeC to 5HmC in early embryos (2012)
  • Author(s): Nakamura, T., Liu, Y.U., Nakashima, H., Umehara, H., Inoue, K., Matoba, S., Tachibana, M., Ogura, A., Shinkai, Y., Nakano, T
  • Journal Title: Nature Volume: 486 Pages: 415-419
  • DOI: doi:10.1038/nature11093
• [Journal Article] Reconstitution of the mouse germ cell specification pathway in culture by pluripotent stem cells (2011)
  • Author(s): Hayashi, K., Ohta, H., Kurimoto, K., Aramaki, S., Saitou, M
  • Journal Title: Cell Volume: 146 Pages: 519-532
  • DOI: doi:10.1016/j.cell.2011.06.052
• [Journal Article] Role for piRNAs and non-coding RNA in de novo DNA methylation of the imprinted mouse Rasgrf1 locus (2011)
  • Author(s): Watanabe, T., Tomizawa, S., Mitsuya, K., Totoki, Y., Yamamoto, Y., Kuramochi-Miyagawa, S., Iida, N., Hoki, Y., Murphy, P.J., Toyoda, A., Gotoh, K., Hiura, H., Arima, T., Fujiyama, A., Sado, T., Shibata, T., Nakano, T., Lin, H., Ichiyanagi, K., Soloway, P.D., Sasaki, H
  • Journal Title: Science Volume: 332 Pages: 848-52
  • DOI: doi:10.1126/science.1203919
• [Journal Article] The way of the germline: its developmental cycle and epigenome network (2011)
  • Author(s): Chuva de Sousa Lopes SM, Roelen BA
  • Journal Title: Differentiation Volume: 81 Pages: 217-221
  • DOI: doi:10.1016/j.diff.2011.02.003
• [Journal Article] Impeding Xist expression from the active X chromosome improves mouse somatic cell nuclear transfer (2010)
  • Author(s): Inoue, K., Kohda T., Sugimoto, M., Sado T., Ogonuki, N., Matoba, S., Shiura, H., Ikeda, R., Mochida, K., Fujii, T., Sawai, K., Otte, A.P, Tian, X.C., Yang, X., Ishino, F., Abe, K., Ogura, A
  • Journal Title: Science Volume: 330 Pages: 496-499
  • DOI: doi:10.1126/science.1194174
• [Journal Article] Proviral silencing in embryonic stem cells requires the histone methyltrans-ferase ESET (2010)
  • Author(s): Matsui, T., Leung, D., Miyashita, H., Maksakova, I.A., Miyachi, H., Kimura, H., Tachibana, M., Lorincz, M.C., Shinkai, Y
  • Journal Title: Nature Volume: 464 Pages: 927-931
  • DOI: doi:10.1038/nature08858
• [Journal Article] A regulatory circuit for piwi by the large Maf gene traffic jam in Drosophila (2009)
  • Author(s): Saito, K., Inagaki, S., Mituyama, T., Kawamura, Y., Ono, Y., Sakota, E., Kotani, H., Asai, K., Siomi, H., Siomi, MC
  • Journal Title: Nature Volume: 461 Pages: 1296-1299
  • DOI: doi:10.1038/nature08501
• [Journal Article] Endogenous siRNAs from naturally formed dsRNAs regulate transcripts in mouse oocytes (2008)
  • Author(s): Watanabe, T., Totoki, Y., Toyoda, A., Kaneda, M., Kuramochi-Miyagawa, S., Obata, Y., Chiba, H., Kohara, Y., Kono, T., Nakano, T., Surani, M.A., Sakaki, Y., Sasaki, H
  • Journal Title: Nature Volume: 453 Pages: 539-543
  • DOI: doi:10.1038/nature06908
• [Book] A global single-cell cDNA amplification method for quantitative microarray analysis. In "PCR Protocols 3rd edition" Ed. by Danny Park (Humana Press, USA) (2011)
  • Author(s): Kurimoto, K. and Saitou, M
  • Total Pages: 687, 91-111
  • Publisher: Methods in Molecular Biology
• [Book] 「卵子学」(森 崇英・総編集) (2011)
  • Author(s): 青木不学、小倉淳郎、河村和弘、斎藤通紀、河野友宏、佐々木裕之、田中智、松居靖久
  • Publisher: 京都大学学術出版会
• [Book] Germline modification using mouse spermatogonial stem cells (2010)
  • Author(s): Kanatsu-Shinohara, M. and Shinohara, T
  • Total Pages: 477, 17-36
  • Publisher: Methods Enzymol
• [Book] Somatic cell nuclear transfer in the mouse. In "Microinjection: Methods and Applications Ed. by David J. Carroll (Humana Press, USA) (2009)
  • Author(s): Kishigami, S. and Wakayama, T
  • Total Pages: 518, 207-218
  • Publisher: Methods in Molecular Biology
• [Book] 「クローンマンモスへの道-クローン技術最前線の技術における発生・再生医療技術を探る 」(単著) (2009)
  • Author(s): 若山照彦
  • Total Pages: 1-80
  • Publisher: アドスリー社
• [Remarks]
  • URL: http://www.brc.riken.go.jp/lab/mcd/germline/index.html