Identification of cells that control gonadal sex stability

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19375
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biology of Cells to Organisms, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo Medical and Dental University (2018); Akita University (2017)
• Principal Investigator: Sasaki Junko 東京医科歯科大学, 難治疾患研究所, 准教授 (30333371)
• Research Collaborator: KANAI yoshiakira
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 性分化 / 細胞内シグナル伝達

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We made the conditional knockout mice lacking the phospholipid metabolizing enzymes (ITG-cre LKO mice) and found that in ITG-cre LKO XX gonads, Sertoli-like cells begin to appear at about 2 weeks of age. By ovarian transplantation and validation of Cre gene expression using Cre-reporter mice, we revealed that the cells emerged in granulosa layer transiently can regulate female gonadal sex stability through phospholipid metabolism.

Free Research Field

脂質生化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により見出した卵巣顆粒膜層に一過的に存在する細胞およびその細胞におけるリン脂質代謝が卵巣の性を制御するという知見は、学術的に新規の知見である。また、ITG-cre LKO雌マウスは不妊であることから、本研究の成果は早発卵巣不全の病因という医学的に重要な知見を提供することが期待される。