Molecular mechanisms regulating conversion of pluripotential stem cells into Germ cells

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25650104
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Morphology/Structure
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Yasuhisa Matsui 東北大学, 加齢医学研究所, 教授 (40241575)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KOBAYASHI KAZUYA 弘前大学, 農学生命科学部, 准教授 (50360110)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 多能性幹細胞 / 生殖細胞 / RNA干渉法 / プラナリア / ニワトリ / Max / Brg1

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We previously found that knock-down of transcription factors, Max and Brg1 in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in global induction of germ cell-specific genes. In this study, we attempted to examine whether Max and Brg1 also play a similar role on pluripotential stem cells in diverse organisms such as chick and planaria. We found that Max- or Brg1-knockdown (KD) in mature planaria containing pluripotential neoblast cells resulted in up-regulation of some germ cell-specific genes. We also found increased expression of some germ cell-specific genes by Max-KD in pluripotential blastoderm cells derived from early chick embryos. The results indicate that Max and Brg1 are involved in repression of germ cell-specific genes in planaria and chick, but they repress only a part of germ cell-specific genes. Therefore functions of Max and Brg1 may be somewhat different among mouse ESCs, planaria and chick pluripotential stem cells.

Free Research Field

発生生物学