Origin of Anterior-Posterior Polarity Axis in the Mouse

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25251029
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: HAMADA Hiroshi 大阪大学, 生命機能研究科, 教授 (00208589)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 胚発生 / 体軸 / 非対称性 / 細胞系譜

Outline of Final Research Achievements

How is the anterior-posterior polarity of mammalian body determined? Exactly when is it determined, and what is the mechanism? We have addressed these questions, and have obtained following results.
1) The mechanism that specifies DVE, a group of cells that determines the anterior-posterior polarity: DVE is induced by Nodal signaling, the number of future DVE cells is negatively regulated by Lefty, an inhibitor of Nodal, future DVE cells are randomly selected from blastomeres before implantation.
2) Nodal signaling in oocytes acts as a maternal factor and regulates cell specification during pre-implantation development. We have searched for target genes of maternal Nodal signaling, and have identified a few functional target genes of maternal Nodal signaling.

Free Research Field

発生生物学