The potential of non-germ cells to undergo ectopic meiosis and the pathophysiology associated with this potential

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19532
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biomedical structure and function and related fields
• Research Institution: Saitama Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Suzuki Ayumu 埼玉医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (80639708)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 減数分裂

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In mammals, it has been thought that meiosis occurs only in germ cells and never in somatic cells. However, we found that repressing the expression of the Max gene induced a meiosis that should not occur in ES cells, even though they are not germ cells. In the present study, we used Max knockout mice to determine whether non-germ cells have the potential to initiate meiosis. We found that some meiotic genes and cancer testis antigen were up-regulated after MAX ablation in some somatic tissues.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

MAXの遺伝子に変異があることにより悪性化するガンは多数報告されているものの、それらの悪性化と減数分裂の関係は知られていない。またMAX遺伝子が欠失したマウスは妊娠初期で流産してしまう。本研究課題は、非生殖細胞における異所性の減数分裂を中心課題に据えたものであるが、減数分裂を起こす潜在能力を規定している分子基盤を解明することは、ガンや流産の発生原因の一端の解明が期待される。