Analysis of mechanisms underlying eye size regulation using Demekin, telescopic-eye goldfish

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25670144
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: General medical chemistry
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Omori Yoshihiro 大阪大学, たんぱく質研究所, 准教授 (90469651)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: デメキン / キンギョ / 魚類 / ゲノム解読 / 眼球

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Among vertebrates, the size of the eyeball displays a wide range of variation with respect to the body proportion within species. Because subtle changes in eyeball size can affect the focus and visual acuity, our work will focus on eye size controlling factors using goldfish.
Goldfish (Carassius auratus) belongs to the family Cyprinidae. Demekin (also called “black moor” or “telescopic-eye” goldfish) is a mutant strain of the common goldfish. A morphological feature of Demekin goldfish is an enlargement of eyeballs. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms controlling their specific eye morphology. To gain a deeper understanding on the factors controlling eye size, we are aiming to identify and analyze a responsible gene for the Demekin strain. Further identification of the genetic framework will establish goldfish as a new tool of research for elucidating the molecular basis underlying the developmental and morphological features of vertebrates.

Free Research Field

発生生物学