Germ cell selection and competition leading to spermatogenesis

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H02507
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: National Institute for Basic Biology
• Principal Investigator: YOSHIDA Shosei 基礎生物学研究所, 生殖細胞研究部門, 教授 (60294138)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞・組織 / 発生・分化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Germ cells inherit genetic information to the next generation. Although it was implicated that only a fraction of germ cells generated during development give rise to mature sperm or oocytes, little is known about this important process. In this study, the process of selection and/or competition of germ cells have been analyzed during postnatal puberty and sexually matured adulthood. During puberty, when primitive progenitors give rise to stem cells, we identified prospectively a cell population that directly differentiate to sperm without experiencing the stem cells, barely contributing to the next generation. During adulthood, we found a novel mechanism of stem cell competition for limited extracellular factors to achieve the constant stem cell number.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

両親から受け継いだ遺伝情報は、細胞分裂に伴って低い確率で変化する。遺伝情報の変化が子孫に伝わることは、次世代で遺伝病を生じたり、種の進化を生み出すことになる。本研究の結果は、生殖細胞集団のうち精子となって子孫に伝わる生殖細胞が残るプロセスの理解を進め、これらの重要な問題に対する重要な手がかりを与える。