2021 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Identification of cell fate specification mechanisms during early embryogenesis in Arabidopsis
| Project/Area Number |
21F21379
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Institution | Tohoku University |
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Principal Investigator |
植田 美那子 東北大学, 生命科学研究科, 教授 (20598726)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KAO PING 東北大学, 生命科学研究科, 外国人特別研究員
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-11-18 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Arabidopsis thaliana / embryogenesis / transcriptome / cellular dynamics |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This study aims to identify the key genes involved during embryogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). Zygotic embryogenesis is a fundamental developmental process in which a single-celled zygote goes through a series of cell divisions, patterning and cell type specifications to form a complex embryo during eukaryotic sexual reproduction. In the flowering plant Arabidopsis, the zygotes divide with a stereotypic pattern, making them an ideal system to observe embryo morphology and to trace cell lineage. While decades of genetic analyses have identified a number of genes that play vital roles in embryogenesis, the genome-wide analyses were not feasible until recently due to technical difficulties. We utilized published embryonic transcriptome datasets to search for key regulatory genes of embryogenesis as well as to resolve the underlying regulatory networks. With bioinformatics approaches, we selected a number of candidate genes for further validations and analyses. Identifying the key factors involved in embryonic cell divisions and specifications will greatly improve our knowledge of flowering plant embryogenesis mechanisms, which is important for understanding the fundamental biological process enabling multicellular eukaryotic lives.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
1: Research has progressed more than it was originally planned.
Reason
We have collected and analyzed published Arabidopsis embryonic transcriptome data and searched for promising factors contributing to crucial cellular events during zygotic embryogenesis. Several genes were selected, and the molecular and genetic examinations of these factors are now in progress.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
First, reporters of the selected genes will be made, and the transgenic lines will be examined to validate the expression patterns. The confirmed genes will then be subjected to functional analyses with mutant lines and molecular variants. Additional RNA sequencing is also scheduled in order to search for more key genes involved in embryogenesis.
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Research Products
(1 results)
