In vivo functions of the condensin complexes

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26251003
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Molecular biology
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: Hirano Tatsuya 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 平野染色体ダイナミクス研究室, 主任研究員 (50212171)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞・組織 / タンパク質 / 遺伝学 / ゲノム / 分化・発生

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To understand how condensins I and II contribute to mitotic chromosome assembly, we have developed a set of two-step protocols for inducing reversible assembly of mitotic chromosome structures in situ, which is combined with quantitative morphological analyses using a machine-learning algorithm. It was found that condensin II has a more crucial role in the reorganization process than condensin I, shedding new lights on the physico-chemical properties of mitotic chromosomes supported by condensins. We have also investigated the roles of condensins I and II in neural stem cells (NSCs) using conditional knockout mice, in which each or both of condensins could be depleted. Our results demonstrated that condensins I and II have both overlapping and non-overlapping functions in NSCs, providing additional evidence for "division-of-labor" of the two condensin complexes at a tissue level.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学