Epigenetic regulation of key developmental genes from embryo to adult

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24770202
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: TSUKAHARA Tatsuya 東京大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (90586413)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: エピジェネティクス / 発生関連遺伝子 / DNAメチル化 / メダカ / 脊椎動物

Research Abstract

We performed the epigenomic analysis of pluripotent blastula embryos and adult myotome and liver in medaka fish. We revealed that, in developmental gene loci, the size of hypomethylated DNA domain (HMD) positively correlates with the repression levels of developmental gene expression in blastula, and HMDs become shortened when the adjacent gene is actively expressed in adult tissues. The comparative analyses with human ES cells, zebrafish embryos and adult muscle showed the conservation of the correlation between HMD size and the repression levels of developmental genes. Therefore, this study highlights the novel features of developmental gene regulation mediated by the size of epigenetic domain from pluripotent embryos to adult.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Large hypomethylated domain serves as strong repressive machinery for key developmental genes in vertebrates
  • Author(s): Ryohei Nakamura, Tatsuya Tsukahara, Wei Qu, Kazuki Ichikawa, Takayoshi Otsuka, Katsumi Ogoshi, Taro L Saito, Kouji Matsushima, Sumio Sugano, Shinichi Hashimoto, Yutaka Suzuki, Shinichi Morishita, and Hiroyuki Takeda
  • Journal Title: Development Volume: (in press)(受理済)
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] The size of DNA hypomethylated domain reflects repression levels of developmental genes (2013)
  • Author(s): Ryohei Nakamura, Tatsuya Tsukahara, Hiroyuki Takeda
  • Organizer: 日本分子生物学会年会
  • Place of Presentation: 神戸(神戸国際展示場・ポートピアホテル、兵庫県)
  • Year and Date: 20131203-06
• [Presentation] Epigenetic Regulation of Key Developmental Genes in the Medaka Genome (2013)
  • Author(s): Tatsuya Tsukahara
  • Organizer: Systems Biology Across the Pacific : from Molecules to Ecosystems (UTokyo Forum)
  • Place of Presentation: サンチアゴ(カトリカ大学、チリ)
  • Year and Date: 20131106-07
• [Presentation] Antagonistic relationship between H3K27me3 and DNA methylation in long-term regulation of developmental genes (2013)
  • Author(s): Ryohei Nakamura, Taro L Saito, Wei Qu, Jun Yoshimura, Shinichi Morishita, Yutaka Suzuki, Shinichi Hashimoto, Tatsuya Tsukahara and Hiroyuki Takeda
  • Organizer: CDB symposium 2013
  • Place of Presentation: 神戸(理化学研究所発生・再生科学総合研究センター、兵庫県)
  • Year and Date: 20130304-06
• [Presentation] Antagonistic relationship between H3K27me3 and DNA methylation in long-term regulation of developmental genes (2012)
  • Author(s): Ryohei Nakamura, Taro L Saito, Wei Qu, Jun Yoshimura, Shinichi Morishita, Yutaka Suzuki, Shinichi Hashimoto, Tatsuya Tsukahara and Hiroyuki Takeda
  • Organizer: 日本分子生物学会年会
  • Place of Presentation: 福岡(福岡国際会議場・マリンメッセ福岡、福岡県)
  • Year and Date: 20121211-14