Principle of collective cell migration to construct multicellular systems

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H04800
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Kuranaga Erina 東北大学, 生命科学研究科, 教授 (90376591)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞移動 / 細胞接着 / 上皮細胞 / 細胞陥入

Outline of Final Research Achievements

During the formation of the body from a fertilized egg, epithelial cells migrate collectively in the same direction to create a complex organism. However, how epithelial cells can migrate while maintaining cell-to-cell adhesion remains largely a mystery. To understand this mechanism, we focused on the looping morphogenesis of the male genitalia (genitalia rotation) during the Drosophila pupal stage. This genitalia rotation occurs when individual epithelial cells are interchanged asymmetrically and migrate collectively. In the present study, we found that actomyosin, which is localized on the cell adhesion and causes junction remodeling (contraction of the cell adhesion), contributes to the elongation of the newly formed cell adhesion surface on both sides of the dissociated cell. In addition, we show that sidekick, a localized protein of tri-cellular junction (three cell adhesion bond), is involved in this phenomenon.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

・本研究で発見した上皮細胞を集団で動かす仕組みは，上皮としての特性を維持しながら細胞を自律的かつ協調的に動かし組織を変形させる新しい知見として，発生・再生の原理を理解し，操作する上で多いに役立つことが期待できる。
・上皮細胞のつなぎ替えを連続してスムーズに起こす仕組みは，創傷治癒などの上皮修復メカニズムの理解に貢献することが期待される。