Regulation of cell fate determination in the cardiac neural crest

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K18551
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Matsuhana Saori 神戸大学, 理学研究科, 助教 (70767251)
• Research Collaborator: Marianne Bronner カリフォルニア工科大学, 教授
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 心臓神経堤細胞 / 遺伝子制御ネットワーク / 心臓発生

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Neural crest cells are a multipotent cell population, unique to vertebrate embryos. They arise from dorsal neural tube along the body axis, migrate extensively throughout the body and differentiate to a variety of cell types. The ‘cardiac neural crest’ is a subdivision that arises from the neural tube at the post-otic to 3rd somite level and contribute to cardiovascular morphogenesis including septum of the outflow tract.
In this study, we showed that MafB is specifically expressed in cardiac neural crest cells. Next we tested the role of MafB using loss of function approaches. The results show that MafB is necessary for cardiac neural crest development and functions as a direct regulator of sox10 expression in the cardiac neural crest.

Free Research Field

分子発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

心臓神経堤細胞は心臓循環器形成において重要な細胞群であり、心臓神経堤細胞の欠損や分化異常は、先天性心疾患を引き起こすことが報告されている。本研究ではニワトリ初期胚の心臓神経堤細胞において特異的に発現する遺伝子としてMafB遺伝子を同定し、この遺伝子が心臓神経堤の発生において必須な役割を持つことを示した。MafBを糸口として心臓神経堤細胞の運命決定機構を明らかにすることで、心臓神経堤細胞に関連した先天性心疾患を引き起こす作用機序の解明やその治療法の確立に貢献できる。