Construction of a meiotic mimic system by ectopic expression of cohesin in somatic cells

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K19248
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 42:Veterinary medical science, animal science, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: LEE Jibak 神戸大学, 農学研究科, 准教授 (50372660)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-06-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 減数分裂 / 生殖細胞 / コヒーシン / 体細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we aimed to develop a drug-inducible ectopic expression system for meiosis-specific cohesin subunits in somatic cells. We introduced four meiosis-specific genes into somatic cells, but we could detected the ectopic expression of two of the four genes at the protein level. In addition, we investigated the intracellular expression levels of meiosis-specific cohesin subunits, RAD21L and REC8, and found that they were present in approximately equal amounts up to the early stages of meiotic prophase I, and that the total expression level of both molecules was higher than the expression levels of cohesin in somatic cells previously reported.

Free Research Field

動物生命科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

減数分裂特異的コヒーシンの機能を解析するためには生殖細胞が必要であるが，体細胞で発現系を構築すれば生殖細胞を採取するために使用する実験動物の数を減らすことができる。本研究ではその系の構築までには至らなかったが，部分的に進めることができた。また，これまで減数分裂細胞にコヒーシン分子がどの程度存在するかわかっていなかったが，RAD21L型とREC8型の２種類のコヒーシンが減数分裂の初期の時期にはほぼ等量存在し，合わせると体細胞よりも量的には多いことがわかった。