Evolution of sensory hair cells as balance detectors

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K23752
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0702:Biology at cellular to organismal levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University (2020); Kobe University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Higuchi Shinnosuke 広島大学, 医系科学研究科(歯), 助教 (20847131)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-08-30 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 有毛細胞 / 平衡感覚 / 膜迷路 / 感覚毛 / 進化 / 無腸動物

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This is the first detailed description of the morphogenesis of statocyst of an Acoelomorpha, Praesagittifera naikaiensis, whose developmental process has not been described. Since the Acoelomorpha is a group of animals that diverged from the common ancestor of Bilateria, this study provided a clue to understanding how the vestibular and auditory organs, including hair cells, were acquired and changed their morphology during the evolutionary history of the Metazoa.

Free Research Field

進化発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の遂行は、後生動物における感覚器の進化の解明につながる。本研究の主要な対象である無腸動物の系統的位置については、分子系統学的解析からようやく論争に終止符が打たれつつあるが、本研究により形態学的な観点から論争の情報を提供できた。また、ヒトの疾患研究のためにゼブラフィッシュやマウスにおいて平衡覚の疾患モデルが作製されており、本研究の成果を関連研究の推進に還元できる可能性がある。