Gene expression with phenotipic changes in the lichen mycobiont and photobiont

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24657042
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Plant molecular biology/Plant physiology
• Research Institution: National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: OHMURA Yoshihito 独立行政法人国立科学博物館, 植物研究部, 研究主幹 (40414362)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SATTA Yoko 総合研究大学院大学, 先導科学研究科, 教授 (20222010)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OKUYAMA Yudai 独立行政法人国立科学博物館, 植物研究部, 研究員 (40522529)
• Research Collaborator: HANDA Shinji ; KON Yoshiaki ; KONO Mieko
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 地衣類 / 共生 / 進化 / 遺伝子発現

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Lichen is a symbiotic organism composed of fungus and alga (and/or cyanobacterium). The morphological, ecological and physiological natures of lichens are fundamentally designed by the results of symbiosis. Gene-expressions related to the symbiosis of lichens, however, have been poorly understood. This study intended to explore which genes are involved to lichen symbiosis using a next generation sequencer, and to study gene expressions in morphological transformations of lichen photobiont. As the results, we found the differences of gene expressions related to protein or nitrogen-compound synthesis pathway between dry and wet conditions of natural thalli. The photobiont of Botryolepraria lesdainii was newly identified as Sticococcus mirabilis. Morphology of this alga is proved to be spherical with symbiotic condition in the field and elongated with non-symbiotic condition in a culture. The mRNA were extracted from both conditions and will be analyzed in the further　researches.

Free Research Field

植物分類学