2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Photo-signal transduction in Ciona photoreceptors
| Project/Area Number |
23570095
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Animal physiology/Animal behavior
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| Research Institution | University of Hyogo |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Research Collaborator |
SUGIMOTO Kentaro
KUWABARA Kenta
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
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| Keywords | 視細胞 / 進化 / 光信号伝達系 / ホヤ / PDE |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
The photoreceptors in the vertebrate retinae receive light signal and convert it into electric signal. PDE6 is a specific enzyme involved in the conversion process in vertebrate photoreceptors. Ascidians are the closest living relatives of vertebrates. We found that ascidian photoreceptors express a PDE5/6 gene, a common ancestral gene between PDE5 which expresses in vertebrate heart, lung, vascular smooth muscle and so on, and PDE6 which expresses in vertebrate photoreceptor. This result suggests that the ancestral PDE5/6 gene evolved into photoreceptor specific PDE6 and widely expressing PDE5 during the evolution from ascidian to vertebrates.
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| Free Research Field |
動物生理
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