Molecular mechanisms of annual killifish diapause.

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K07074
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: KUROKAWA DAISUKE 東京大学, 大学院理学系研究科(理学部), 助教 (40342779)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 一年魚 / 発生休止

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The diapause of vertebrate was analyzed using african annual killifish, Nothobranchius korthausae.
In order to investigate the function of genes involved in the diapause that expression fluctuates before and after the developmental arrest, mutants were created with CRISPR / Cas9 and the phenotype was observed.
In addition, in order to visualize the cell division cycle associated with developmental arrest, a Fluorescent Ubiquitnation-based cell cycle indicator (Fucci) transgenic line was established, and changes in cell cycle associated with the developmental arrest were observed.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで研究に用いられてこなかったアフリカ産の小型魚類Nothobranchius korthausaeを用いて、ほとんど解析が進んでいない脊椎動物の発生休止現象の解明に先鞭をつけた。また、本研究を通じて、これまで研究に用いられてこなかったN. korthausaeを、メダカやゼブラフィッシュのように簡単に実験室で飼育維持する方法や、蛍光タンパク質遺伝子を導入するトランスジェニック技術や、CRISPR/Cas9等のゲノム編集技術も確立し、新しい実験モデル生物を提案できた。