Elucidating mechanisms underlying the maintenance of planar cell polarity

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K16153
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 44020:Developmental biology-related
• Research Institution: National Institute for Basic Biology
• Principal Investigator: Arata Masaki 基礎生物学研究所, 初期発生研究部門, 特任助教 (50829900)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 平面内細胞極性 / マウス / 卵管 / 恒常性維持

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Planar cell polarity (PCP) is the coordinated alignment of cellular polarity in the plane of epithelial tissues, which is exemplified by unidirectional ciliary movements of multiciliated cells (MCCs) in the oviduct. Although PCP is essential for functions of organs, mechanisms of how PCP is maintained in matured organs are still unclear.
In the mouse oviduct epithelium, cellular turnover occurs throughout life. We found that proliferated oviduct epithelial cells acquired PCP as they differentiated to MCCs. We hypothesized that differentiating cells establish PCP by reading orientations of adjacent cells, and verified this hypothesis. Furthermore, to identify genes that regulate the acquisition of PCP during MCC differentiation, gene expressions were analyzed by single cell RNA-sequencing. We focused on genes whose expression levels changed during MCC differentiation, and prepared to investigate roles of those genes in the maintenance of PCP.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

発生過程における平面内細胞極性の形成機構はショウジョウバエ翅をモデル系として研究が進んできた。しかし、ショウジョウバエ翅の上皮細胞は羽化直後に死滅するため平面内細胞極性の維持機構の研究には適していない。新たに生まれた細胞がいかにして自らの向きと大きく成長した器官の向きとをすり合わせ、器官全体で細胞の向きが揃った状態が維持されるのか、その機構は未解明のままである。本研究では平面内細胞極性が成体でも維持されるマウスの卵管上皮組織に着目することで、この問題を解決する基盤となる成果を得た。