Research for molecular functions of plant endogenous progesteron in plant growth

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K19077
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 38:Agricultural chemistry and related fields
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Nakano Takeshi 京都大学, 生命科学研究科, 教授 (30281653)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-07-09 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: ケミカルバイオロジー / 植物プロゲステロン / ステロイドホルモン / 受容体 / 成長

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Progesterone, a mammalian steroid hormone, controls key female reproductive events from ovulation to implantation and pregnancy maintenance. Though the function of progesterone in plant had not been revealed, we suggested that it functions to promote plant growth. In addition to its functions through well-analyzed progesterone receptors as ligand-dependent transcription factors, progesterone has been predicted to participate in rapid signaling events that occur independently of transcriptional regulation. Three membrane progesterone receptors were initially cloned from fish ovaries and subsequently identified in a variety of species, including human and mouse. We found that the membrane progesterone receptors belong to a larger family of proteins that is highly conserved from Arabidopsis to higher plants, and we identified a highly homologous cDNA. In this research, we analyzed the molecular functions of the membrane progesterone receptor in a plant species.

Free Research Field

植物化学生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

動物におけるプロゲステロンは核内に局在する転写因子型受容体に結合し、妊娠の維持など女性ホルモンとしての機能発現に重要な役割について広く解明が進められてきたが、植物ゲノムには存在しないと考えられている。近年、哺乳類の細胞膜７回貫通型タンパク質ファミリーの中からプロゲステロン受容体が同定され、卵細胞や神経細胞において機能している可能性が示された。その結果より申請者らは、アラビドプシス全ゲノム配列において、植物におけるプロゲステロン受容体相同性遺伝子を同定し、機能解明を進めた。本研究は植物における未知の新しい生理活性物質およびその受容機構の発見という高い学術的意義があると考えられる。