| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KOGA Akiniko Nagoya University, Graduate School of Science, Associate Professor, 大学院・理学研究科, 助教授 (80192574)
IIDA Shigeru IIDA,Shigeru, 基礎生物学研究所, 教授 (30012777)
IKEDA Hideo Medinet Inc., Institute of Molecular Genetics, Director, 分子遺伝学研究所, 所長(研究職)
OGAWA Hideyuki Iwale College of Nursing, Professor, 学長(研究職) (70028207)
SKIGUCHI Mutsuo SKIGUCHI,Mutsuo, 生物分子工学研究所, 所長(研究職)
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| Research Abstract |
Exchange of genetic materials has widely occurred in all organisms. This implies that genetic recombination has important roles for maintaining as well as evolving organisms. Genetic recombination is often caused by DNA double-strand breaks, which is usually induced by secondary structure and/or lesions of DNA. Transposases or other related endonucleases, which are coded by transposons or other genetic elements, are also involved in the transposition, integrative recombination, inversion, or homing. DNA double-strand breaks followed by DNA end-joining must therefore play a central role in various biological processes. Some of recombination functions are also related to genetic diseases such as Ataxia telangiectasia and Bloom syndrome. Therefore the studies on DNA double-strand breaks and DNA end-joining provide clues for understanding of the mechanisms of various biological functions, as well as elucidating the causes of genetic diseases. Considering these problems, a research group that csists of ten members and several support members was organized in April 1998 for a five-years project, focusing on several important aspects of recombination : DNA rearrangements mediated by double-strand breaks and end-joining, regulation of DNA rearrangements and its relation with genetic diseases, transposition of transposons, site-specific recombination, and gene homing. All the members have carried out the project through extensive discussion and collaboration. All the members have been very productive and made many significant publications in the international journals. Also, a book has been published as an issue in "Advances in Biophysics' from Japan Scientific Societies Press/Elsevier. This issue is composed of selected papers describing the most interesting results obtained by all the members in the project and thus represents the current advances in the field of genetic recombination in Japan.
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