Molecular mechanisms for piRNA-mediated chromatin regulation in Drosophila

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18H02379
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 43010:Molecular biology-related
• Research Institution: National Institute of Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Saito Kuniaki 国立遺伝学研究所, 遺伝メカニズム研究系, 教授 (30423396)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: レトロトランスポゾン / ショウジョウバエ / ヘテロクロマチン / 生殖 / 培養細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Retrotransposons, a major class of transposable elements (TEs), are genetic elements that can move and amplify themselves within a genome. Retrotransposons contribute to increasing the content and diversity of genomes, while their uncontrolled spread can cause genomic instability that is deleterious to the host cell. To maintain genome integrity, control mechanisms have evolved including RNA interference and heterochromatinization. In the latter mechanism, repressive histone modifications and heterochromatin-associated proteins, such as heterochromatin protein 1a (HP1a) play critical roles in the transcriptional silencing of TEs. However, the mechanism by which numerous TEs are specifically recognized and silenced and the factors involved remain obscure. To explore the mechanisms of TE silencing, I focused on the uncharacterized candidate gene 14438 (CG14438), which was identified by RNAi-screening to be involved in TE silencing in the D. melanogaster ovary.

Free Research Field

分子生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

生殖細胞は唯一次世代に伝えられる細胞であり、その安定的な次世代継承メカニズムの解明は学術的に意義があるとともに生殖医療などの分野に波及する可能性が高い。本研究はショウジョウバエをモデル動物として、生殖細胞の安定的な次世代継承に必要な新しい遺伝子の同定と機能解明が行われており、その意義は大きいと考える。