Gradients of energy metabolism: A novel player involved on the vertebrate embryo patterning

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K06673
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 44020:Developmental biology-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University (2020-2021); Gunma University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Oginuma Masayuki 大阪大学, 微生物病研究所, 助教 (50825966)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 胚発生 / 組織形成 / 老化 / 代謝 / ゼブラフィッシュ / ターコイズキリフィツシュ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we examined our hypothesis that energy metabolic gradients organize tissue pattern formation as the canonical morphogen gradients. We developed metabolic reporter lines that visualize intracellular pH, NAD+ and ATP for the zebrafish and African killifish. From these reporter lines, we found that during embryonic development and in the adult body a lot of tissue and organ show the metabolic gradient pattern. From these results, we concluded that metabolic gradients are general mechanism that organize tissue pattern formations.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、胚の組織形成過程や、成体や老化過程における組織維持過程における新概念の構築を目指した。特に、成体組織の老化を制御する機構は不明点が多く、本研究から得られた知見によって、組織老化を抑制する新しい治療法、創薬の可能性が生まれた。