Modeling Maternal Aging Effects That Cause Congenital Anomalies Using Small Fish

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K19351
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 44:Biology at cellular to organismal levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University (2019-2022); National Institute for Basic Biology (2018)
• Principal Investigator: Suzuki Makoto 広島大学, 両生類研究センター, 助教 (10533193)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 初期発生 / ゼブラフィッシュ / ネッタイツメガエル / 環境因子 / 背腹軸 / 前後軸

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we considered maternal age as one of the environmental factors that cause congenital abnormalities and aimed to elucidate its effects at the molecular level by developing new models. As a result, we developed an experimental model to systematically analyze the effects of maternal age on embryonic development using zebrafish and Xenopus tropicalis as model vertebrates. We also found that embryos from X. tropicalis females of unsuitable age showed severe developmental abnormalities and identified associated gene and protein expression changes.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

胚発生は常に多様な環境因子の影響にさらされている。それらの環境因子は時として重篤な先天異常を引き起こすが、その詳細なメカニズムは未だ明確でない。本研究でモデル化された母体年齢が胚発生に与える影響に関する研究成果は、胚発生における遺伝子－環境相互作用の分子基盤の解明という基礎生物学な意義に加え、母体の高齢化が先天異常にもたらす影響の理解にも繋がり、出生率の改善を目指した生殖医療の発展へと貢献することが期待される。