Development of novel biological survey method using environmental DNA/RNA: estimating the behavior and states of underwater organisms

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H03735
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Minamoto Toshifumi 神戸大学, 人間発達環境学研究科, 准教授 (50450656)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山中 裕樹 龍谷大学, 理工学部, 講師 (60455227)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 環境DNA / 環境RNA / 繁殖 / 生理状態 / RNA-seq

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we developed a technique to understand the behavior and physiological state of an organism using environmental nucleic acids (environmental DNA and RNA). The results showed that increased environmental DNA could be a marker of reproductive behavior, that environmental RNA was detectable, that a large number of cytoskeleton-related genes were detected in environmental water, and that mRNAs that could be candidate reproductive markers were present in the environment. This is the first study to demonstrate the applicability of environmental nucleic acids to the detection of animal physiological states and behaviors in the field. These results are particularly noteworthy because they expand the applicability of environmental nucleic acid analysis in the future.

Free Research Field

生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

環境DNAなどの核酸を用いることで生物の状態を明らかにできる技術開発に成功したことは、希少種が再生産しているかなど生物多様性保全に関わる情報を非侵襲的に得ることなどを可能にする。また、環境中のmRNAなどは生物の生理状態を反映すると考えられ、水産養殖環境における感染症の早期発見など、応用的な利用も可能であると考えられる。このように本研究では基礎生物学的にも応用生物学的にも重要な手法の開発に成功した。