Exploration of species-specific glycans involved in self- and nonself-recognition in starfish larvae.

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K15602
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 40040:Aquatic life science-related
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: FURUKAWA Ryohei 慶應義塾大学, 文学部(日吉), 助教 (90458951)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 棘皮動物ヒトデ / 自己・非自己認識 / missing-species認識 / missing-self認識 / 免疫系の発達

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Mesenchyme cells, the immune cells of the starfish larvae, regulate the immune response by "missing-species" recognition, in which they specifically recognize that the cells are of the same species and consider those they cannot recognize as foreign. This study was designed to search for species-specific molecules that control this recognition mechanism. However, in the process of examining the experimental conditions, doubts arose about the preliminary data, and it became necessary to reconsider the hypothesis of this study itself. On the other hand, through the process of trial and error of other approaches, it became clear that the adult-type immune system of the starfish matures during the juvenile stage after metamorphosis and acquires the ability to consider allogeneic individuals as non-self. This finding is very important for the ontogeny of the immune system.

Free Research Field

比較免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、研究の進行過程で仮説を支える予備データに疑義が生じたため、目的の達成には至らなかった。一方で、副次的に、稚ヒトデ期に成熟する成体型免疫系が、父親、母親からそれぞれ受け継いだ自己マーカー遺伝子群のうち、少なくとも片方が一致すれば自己とみなすというメカニズムによって、同種異個体を識別していることを示唆することができた。無脊椎動物において免疫系の成熟時期が明らかになっている種はほとんどなく、免疫系の個体発生メカニズムを明らかにするための研究基盤を確立することができた。これにより、成体が有する自己マーカーの探索を通して、幼生が認識する種特異的な分子を探索できる可能性が見出された。