Analysis of sperm function using ES chimeric mice

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H04987
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Laboratory animal science
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Miyata Haruhiko 大阪大学, 微生物病研究所, 准教授 (50604732)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 精子 / 鞭毛 / ゲノム編集 / キメラマウス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

One of the causes of male infertility is impaired sperm motility and several causative genes have been reported. These genes are involved in not only sperm flagellar motility but also ciliary motility in the trachea and ventricles (PCD: primary ciliary dyskinesia), which results in postnatal lethality in knockout mice. In this study, (1) we established the ES cells which exhibit red fluorescence in the mitochondria and (2) chimeric mice were generated using the ES cells to avoid postnatal lethality, and the function of Hydin, which is the causative gene of PCD, was analyzed.

Free Research Field

生殖生理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、HYDINがマウスの精子鞭毛形成に必須であることが明らかになった。HYDINは原発性繊毛運動不全症の原因遺伝子であり、繊毛の運動不全だけではなく精子鞭毛形成異常を示す可能性が示唆された。さらにDNAH8がマウスの精子鞭毛形成に必須であることも明らかになった。男性不妊患者でもDNAH8の変異を見つけており、DNAH8のさらなる機能解明は男性不妊の原因究明や治療法の開発に繋がると期待される。