Regulation of chromatin structure and dynamics by interplay between nuclear sub-structures and chromatin

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Dynamic chromatin structure and function
• Project/Area Number: 25116009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (2017); Kumamoto University (2013-2016)
• Principal Investigator: Saitoh Noriko 公益財団法人がん研究会, がん研究所 がん生物部, 部長 (40398235)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 原田 昌彦 東北大学, 農学研究科, 准教授 (70218642)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-06-28 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: クロマチン動構造 / 核内構造 / 核骨格 / 画像解析 / 非コードRNA

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the nucleus, chromatin is surrounded by several kinds of sub-structures. The nuclear sub-structures are supramolecular complexes composed of RNA and proteins. Factors involved in nuclear events are locally concentrated in the sub-structures.
The goal of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms of how chromatin is regulated in the context of the three-dimensional nuclear space. We analyzed factors linking chromatin and sub-structures. As a result, we found novel nuclear non-coding RNAs that are involved in acquisition of endocrine therapy-resistance of breast cancer cells. The ncRNAs form RNA cloud, and they are involved in gene expression regulation essential for breast cancer cells. We also identified and analyzed proteins involved in structure and function of the nucleolus. We found that interplay between nuclear sub-structures and chromatin is important for regulation of chromatin structure and dynamics.

Free Research Field

分子細胞生物学