Characterization of nuclear receptor gene duplication in the longest-living rodent, the naked mole-rat

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K14601
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 42030:Animal life science-related
• Research Institution: Kumamoto University
• Principal Investigator: Oka Kaori 熊本大学, 大学院先導機構, 特別研究員(SPD・PD・RPD) (50755907)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: ハダカデバネズミ / 核内受容体 / 遺伝子重複 / 遺伝子制御

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The naked mole-rat is a subterranean rodent that lives in the dry African savannah and unable to access free water. In this study, I focused on the gene duplication of the mineralocorticoid receptor, which is an important gene for the regulation of the gene expressions involved in body fluid homeostasis. As a result, I found that the duplicated mutant mineralocorticoid receptor is highly expressed in the tissue involved in steroidogenesis and has a function to support the transcriptional activity of the canonical receptor. This duplication was not found in the related species.

Free Research Field

比較生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ステロイドホルモン受容体は祖先型受容体からの遺伝子重複を経て、多様な機能を持つファミリーが生じてきた。一方これまで、ミネラルコルチコイド受容体の重複が起きた例はほとんど知られておらず、フタコブラクダに続き、デバが二例目となる。本課題で明らかとなった遺伝子重複とその新たな機能は、比較内分泌学の基盤的知見として重要なものであり、また、水の乏しい環境でのミネラルコルチコイド受容体の多様化の可能性を示す進化的にも興味深い成果といえる。