Analysis of the mechanism under the occurrence of bicephaly during development in medaka fish with a defective UPR pathway

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K15116
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Cell biology
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Ishikawa Tokiro 京都大学, 理学研究科, 助教 (70632545)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 小胞体ストレス応答 / メダカ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To cope with ER stress, cells activate the unfolded protein response(UPR).
In this study, we showed that defect occurred in one of the UPR pathway leads to increased the ER stress and the activation of another UPR pathway. Consequently, it causes the occurrence of bicephaly during early stage of embryonic development in medaka.
Meanwhile, we generated the medaka strain carrying a mutation in gene X, causing bicephaly at a high frequency, by TILLING method, and showed that the occurrence of bicephaly is not caused by the genetic defect in gene X, but caused by genetic defects in some unknown genes close to gene X.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

小胞体ストレス応答は小胞体の恒常性を維持するために不可欠な分子機構であり、生命の発生から発達など様々な場面で重要な役割を果たす。本研究においては発生の過程で頭が2つになってしまう発生異常を小胞体ストレス応答の破綻が引き起こす分子機構を明らかにするため、メダカを用いた解析を行った。
結果として、ひとつのストレス解消経路が破綻することでその他の経路が強く活性化されてしまい、双頭が生じてしまうことを示唆するデータを得た。
同時に頭が2つになりやすい系統の樹立も試みた。