2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Molecular basis of odorant receptor genes expression and axonal projection of olfactory sensory neurons using zebrafish

Research Project

Project/Area Number	17570172
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Developmental biology
Research Institution	The University of Tokyo
Principal Investigator	NISHIZUMI Hirofumi The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science, Research Associate, 大学院・理学系研究科, 助手 (30292832)
Project Period (FY)	2005 – 2006
Keywords	zebrafish / odorant receptor genes / gene expression / locus control region / enhancer
Research Abstract	We have previously reported a 2.1kb homology (H) sequence, conserved between mouse and human, regulates the odorant receptor (OR) gene MOR28 in transgenic mice. Here, we narrowed down the essential sequences of the H to a core of 124bp, using a transient expression system in zebrafish embryos. Transgenic experiments in mice demonstrated that the core-H sequence is sufficient to endow expression of the MOR28 minigene. Deletion and mutation analyses of the core-H region revealed two homeodomain sequences to be essential for the H enhancer activity. Targeted deletion of the core-H abolished expression of three proximal OR genes, MOR28, MOR10, and MOR83, in cis, indicating the presence of another LCR/enhancer in the downstream region, that regulates four distal OR genes in the same MOR28 cluster. In the heterozygous mice, the H^- phenotype of the mutant allele was not rescued by the wild-type H^+ allele in trans.

(2 results)