The system for fine tuning of signal transduction that maintains the robustness in morphogenesis

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26291050
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: Nara Institute of Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Bessho Yasumasa 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, バイオサイエンス研究科, 教授 (70261253)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 中畑 泰和 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, バイオサイエンス研究科, 助教 (50390810) ; 松井 貴輝 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, バイオサイエンス研究科, 助教 (60403333)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Sakumura Yuichi 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, バイオサイエンス研究科, 准教授 (50324968)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 形態形成 / 体節形成 / ロバスト性 / Notch / 遺伝子発現

Outline of Final Research Achievements

During development, the body of the embryo is formed in a precise manner, although embryos are exposed to fluctuation of external environment. In this research project, we attempted to uncover the mechanism of robustness of the morphogenesis in embryo, using somite formation in vertebrate as a model. In the presomitic mesoderm, which is the primordium of somites, the expression of a group of genes oscillates under the Notch signaling, and this oscillatory expression controls the periodic somite segmentation. Each cell in the presomitic mesoderm can generate this oscillatory gene expression and its phase is synchronized among the cells, thus the machinery of the synchronization should be a key mechanism of the robustness in somite formation. In this project, we analyzed the knockout embryos of Nrarp, which is a feedback regulator of Notch signaling, and revealed that the fine tuning of Notch signal activity plays a critical role in the robustness of the morphogenesis of somites.

Free Research Field

発生生物学