Embryonic cell culture for molecular studies of hemipteran diffused kinetochores

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19376
• 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: Ibaraki University
• Principal Investigator: Osanai-Futahashi Mizuko (長内美瑞子) 茨城大学, 理工学研究科(理学野), 准教授 (00422402)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 動原体 / 培養細胞 / カメムシ / 昆虫 / 分散型動原体 / 細胞分裂 / キネトコア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The kinetochore is a rapidly evolving critical protein complex which binds the chromosomes and the microtubles to direct chromosome alignment and segregation in eukaryotic cell division. Studies on kinetochores have been mainly from species which the kinetochore assembly occur at a single chromosomal locus. However, kinetochore protein complexes bind along the entire chromosomes in about one third of known species. Although these “diffused kinetochores” have evolved in animals and plants multiple times, most of the molecular knowledge has been obtained from the nematode C. elegans. To establish a novel model system for studying the evolution of kinetochore localization and protein complex, embryo-derived cell culture method was established for hemipteran Riptortus pedestris, which have diffused kinetochores and presumed to lack many kinetochore components. In addition, we succeeded in functional analyses of kinetochore gene homologs using RNAi in for the first time in hemipterans.

Free Research Field

昆虫分子生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

動原体複合体は真核細胞の染色体分配に必要不可欠である。その構成要素や局在は真核生物において激しく進化しているが、その知見は局在型動原体の生物種に偏っている。本研究は、分散型動原体をもつ生物のグループの一つであるカメムシ目において、全身性RNAiを活用して動原体構成因子の機能解析に成功した世界で初めての事例である。また、本研究により明らかにされた動原体構成因子の知見および、確立された胚由来細胞の初代培養法は、カメムシの新規動原体構成要素やセントロメア配列同定、ひいては比較解析による真核生物の動原体進化の解明につながる重要な足掛かりを与えるものであり、細胞培養法は新規農薬開発への応用も期待される。