2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Genomic basis of evolution of the complex central nervous system and its associated sensory organs of vertebrates
| Project/Area Number |
16H04724
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Genome biology
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| Research Institution | Konan University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
鈴木 穣 東京大学, 大学院新領域創成科学研究科, 教授 (40323646)
中井 謙太 東京大学, 医科学研究所, 教授 (60217643)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | ホヤ / メダカ / 脳 / 感覚器 / 眼 / プラコード / 神経堤 / 進化 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Vertebrates have a dorsal tubular central nervous system (CNS), the anterior part of which is a complex and highly organized brain. The tadpole larva of the ascidian, an invertebrate chordate, also has a CNS derived from the dorsal neural tube, but it is far simpler than the vertebrate CNS. The ascidian larva has a brain with sensory and motor control systems that shares many features with the vertebrate brain, including the retinal/hypothalamic territory, a locomotor central pattern generator, neural crests, and cranial placodes. In this study, by using Ciona and medaka, we compared transcriptomes and developmental mechanisms of the brain and sensory organs between ascidians and vertebrates. Our results suggests that duplication of genes encoding transcription factors and acquisition of new miRNAs played crucial roles in evolution of the complex brain and sensory organs of vertebrates.
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| Free Research Field |
ゲノム生物学、発生生物学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
脊椎動物に近縁なホヤ類の幼生は、微小だが脊椎動物と相同な中枢神経系（脳、脊髄）と感覚器をもつ。本研究では、ホヤと脊椎動物の間で中枢神経系や感覚器の発生過程と遺伝子発現の比較解析を行い、脊椎動物の複雑で高度な機能を備えた脳と感覚器が進化した背景を探った。ホヤの特徴を生かして、受精卵から網膜ができるまでの全細胞分裂を明らかにし、脊椎動物とホヤの脳に共通のニューロンの形成に必要な遺伝子を同定した。また、脊椎動物の複雑な眼が作られるための、脊椎動物のみに存在する調節因子を明らかにした。本研究の成果は、脊椎動物の脳・感覚器の成り立ちを解明するための足がかりになると期待される。
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