Analysis of pluripotent stem cell heterogeneity using simultaneous live imaging of gene nuclear localization and transcriptional activity

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K18467
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: System genome science
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Ochiai Hiroshi 広島大学, 理学研究科, 特任講師 (60640753)
• Research Collaborator: Liu Zhe Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Group Leader
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: クロマチン動態 / 転写 / ライブイメージング / 染色体 / ゲノムDNA / 転写発現

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Within the cell nucleus, individual chromosomes are kept in individual regions without being completely mixed, and nuclear structures composed of DNA and nuclear proteins are distributed non-uniformly. It is also known that the interaction between the promoters and the distant regulatory elements affects the expression of specific genes. However, the spatial arrangement of chromosomes and nuclear structures is randomly determined for each cell division, and is dynamically fluctuating in interphase, which may cause cell-to-cell heterogeneity in gene expression, but there are many technical difficulties. In this study, we try to establish a simultaneous visualization system of endogenous gene transcription and nuclear localization, and elucidate the mechanism of occurrence of gene expression heterogeneity in mouse embryonic stem cells using this system.

Free Research Field

分子生物学