Study on mechanisms maintaining homology of muscles in vertebrate evolution

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K18354
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Stratigraphy/Paleontology; General anatomy (including histology/embryology)
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: Tatsuya Hirasawa 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 生命機能科学研究センター, 研究員 (60585793)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 脊椎動物 / 相同性 / 進化 / 胚発生 / 前肢筋 / 腕神経叢 / 化石

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To understand the mechanism maintaining morphological homology of skeletal muscles in vertebrate evolution, I studied the developmental process of the relationship between skeletal muscles and spinal nerves, which is fairly conserved in evolution, during embryonic development, as well as investigated its evolvability. My embryonic experiments were suggestive of that, contrary to the initial expectation, the interaction with developing axons of spinal nerves is not essential for the individualization process of muscle primordia. I also published a review paper proposing a new research framework for this subject.

Free Research Field

古生物学、進化発生学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

脊椎動物進化の中で筋の相同性が保たれるしくみとして筋前駆細胞集団から個々の筋に分かれる過程に注目した先駆的な研究であり、その完全解明のための基礎となる。また、この解明を進めることで、脊椎動物の形態進化についてだけでなく、生物進化における制約や方向性について、あるいはどのようなときに新しい形態パターンが進化できるのかについての全般的理解につながっていくと期待される。