Role of UHRF1 during oogenesis and early embryogenesis

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K06803
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Laboratory animal science
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: UNOKI Motoko 九州大学, 生体防御医学研究所, 助教 (30525374)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OGURA Atsuo 独立法人理化学研究所, バイオリソースセンター, 室長 (20194524) ; YAMAGATA Kazuo 近畿大学, 生物理工学部 遺伝子工学科, 准教授 (10361312) ; ARITA Kyohei 横浜市立大学, 生命医科学研究科, 准教授 (40549648) ; UEDA Koji がん研究会, がん研究所 がんプレシジョン医療研究センター, プロジェクトリーダー (10509110) ; SHARIF Jafar 独立法人理化学研究所, 生命医科学研究センター, 研究員 (00577968)
• Research Collaborator: MAENOHARA Shoji 九州大学, 生体防御医学研究所, 大学院生
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: UHRF1 / 卵母細胞 / 初期発生 / 着床前発生 / 生殖細胞 / エピジェネティクス / DNAメチル化 / 卵子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

UHRF1 is a nuclear factor, which is required for maintenance of DNA methylation with DNMT1 in somatic cells. Interestingly, however, during oogenesis and preimplantation development, most of UHRF1 localizes in the cytoplasm although minor potion of UHRF1 remains to be in the nucleus. We found that the nuclear UHRF1 is partially involved in de novo DNA methylation in the nucleus of oocyte and maintains DNA methylation at the basal levels against genome-wide demetnylation in preimplantation embryos (Maenohara et al., 2017). In addition, we found that UHRF1 maternal knockout embryos show embryonic lethality around preimplantation, UHRF1 is required for constructing cytoskeleton of oocyte, the cytoplasm established under presence of UHRF1 is essential for normal preimplantation development, and UHRF1 is required for proper chromosomal segregation and cytoplasmic divisions.

Free Research Field

エピジェネティクス