2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Analysis of epigenome stability and germ cell tumor formation
| Project Area | Analyses and regulation of germline epigenome |
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| Project/Area Number |
25112003
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Review Section |
Biological Sciences
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2013-06-28 – 2018-03-31
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| Keywords | 精子形成 / がん |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
In 2004, we discovered that cultured spermatogonial stem cells, designated as germline stem (GS) cells, can spontaneously dedifferentiate into embryonic stem (ES) cell-like multipotent GS cells. However, the frequency of conversion was very low and the mechanism underlying this dedifferentiation remained unknown. In this research, we found that DNA demethylation in GS cells induces downregulation of Dmrt1, which is one of the germ cell tumor genes. This Dmrt1 downregulation leads to induce Sox2 gene, which is one of the essential genes involved in the maintenance of ES cells. Our results suggest that epigenetic abnormalities in GS cells are responsible for the acquisition of pluripotency in GS cells.
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| Free Research Field |
生殖生物学
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