Involvement of Clock in mechanism of implantation

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26450383
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal production science
• Research Institution: Rakuno Gakuen University
• Principal Investigator: Amano Tomoko 酪農学園大学, 農食環境学群, 准教授 (60388585)
• Research Collaborator: Albrecht Urs University of Fribourg, Department of Medicine, Division of Biochemistry, 教授 ; Ripperger Juergen University of Fribourg, Department of Medicine, Division of Biochemistry, 研究員
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 生物時計

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Clock gene (Clock) is involved in expression of many genes to control events occurring at particular timing in a day. Since there are many events that occur timely in mammalian reproduction processes, it is likely that circadian genes including Clock are involved in reproduction physiologies. In our study, we found a decrease in the number of pups and abnormal spacing (abnormality of length between implantation sites in the uterus) when one or both parents bore a Clock homozygote mutation. The pup number and implantation sites were decreased more when the spacing abnormality was greater, suggesting spacing abnormality affected the implantation process. We also revealed that not only Clock mutation of the mother but also that of embryos affected the spacing abnormality. We are now searching for implantation-promoting genes regulated by Clock among genes expressed in blastocysts such as Cox2, known as a gene activating implantation ability of blastocysts.

Free Research Field

生殖生理学