Mechanisms of sex determination and evolution in the unicellular red algae

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K06778
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 45020:Evolutionary biology-related
• Research Institution: National Institute of Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Hirooka Shunsuke 国立遺伝学研究所, 遺伝形質研究系, 特任助教 (70843332)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 単細胞藻類 / 有性生殖 / ゲノム解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sexual reproduction is ubiquitous in eukaryotes. Sex determining mechanisms have evolved repeatedly and independently in various lineages. Sexual reproduction was evolved from isogamy to oogamy through anisogamy. Isogamous organisms have a simple sex-determining region on their genomes. Thus, region and mechanism of sex determining have been well studied in the unicellular organisms such as yeasts and the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We found that Cyanidiophyceae, which belongs to the unicellular red algae, undergo isogamous sexual reproduction. This discovery has enabled the development of genetic modification and the identification of a candidate sex-determining region. Cyanidiophyceae has been becoming a model lineage for the evolution of sexual reproduction.

Free Research Field

植物進化

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

イデユコゴメ類はアーケプラスチダの中でも、進化の初期に分岐したと考えられている。我々によって、イデユコゴメ類の有性生殖過程の存在が明らかになったことで、アーケプラスチダにおける有性生殖の進化を考える上で重要な要素が得られたことになる。さらに、イデユコゴメ類のゲノム解析、遺伝的改変技術等の基盤整備が進んだことによって、有性生殖に限らず様々な現象を解明する為のモデル研究系としてイデユコゴメ類を利用できると考えられる。また、イデユコゴメ類はその生態学的な特徴から産業利用に向けた研究が世界中で行われている為、本課題で得られた知見、遺伝的ツールを用いることで、今後のさらなる発展が期待できる。