Elucidation of the mechanisms which balance the formation and maintenance of PCP

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K06665
• 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: Akita University
• Principal Investigator: Ayukawa Tomonori 秋田大学, 医学系研究科, 助教 (80586165)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山崎 正和 秋田大学, 医学系研究科, 准教授 (40373378)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 平面内細胞極性 / PCP

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Most tissues and organs acquire a polarity within the plane of the epithelium, which is orthogonal to the axis of apico-basal polarity. This is referred to as planar cell polarity (PCP). PCP is manifested in external structures on the body surface (e.g., animal hairs) and in the cellular appendages of internal organs (e.g., the stereocilia in the inner ear). The polarization of these features plays a crucial role in numerous functions, such as hearing and left-right axis determination. Aberrant regulation of PCP is implicated in human pathologies.
While molecular mechanisms which govern PCP are gradually becoming clearer, mechanisms which maintain PCP are not been fully investigated. Here, I show that the mechanism which balances the formation and maintenance of PCP.

Free Research Field

発生学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ショウジョウバエを用いた分子遺伝学的研究から、PCP形成の主翼を担う遺伝子群が同定され、これらの因子群の機能解析からPCP形成を司る分子機構の理解が飛躍的に進展した。一方、形成されたPCPが、組織変形や機械的な力などに抗い、適切に維持される機構の研究は端緒についたばかりであり、PCPの形成と維持をバランス機構もほとんど不明である。研究代表者らは、PCPの形成と維持の両方に関与することが示唆される新規PCP分子を同定している。本研究は、新規PCP分子の機能解析を通して、PCP分野における上述の謎の解明に挑むものであり、その成果は発生生物学を含む様々な学術分野に波及することが期待される。