| Project/Area Number |
17H06840
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Integrative animal science
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| Research Institution | Osaka University |
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Principal Investigator |
Sakurai Nobuyuki 大阪大学, 微生物病研究所, 特任研究員(常勤) (10808281)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2017-08-25 – 2019-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,730,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥630,000)
Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
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| Keywords | 精子成熟 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
In mammal, sperm obtain an ability to successfully achieve fertilization with an egg when they pass through the epididymis. I n this study, I focused on gene cluster X, which was known to be related with fertilization ability of sperm. Most genes constructing the gene cluster were highly expressed in the epididymis. I generated mutant mice which were deleted a part of the gene cluster, 11 genes, and the male mice were severely subfertile. There was no significant abnormality in sperm morphology and motility. In vitro fertilization ability of mutant sperm was also normal. However, mutant sperm could not attach to zona pellucida. In conclusion, the present study has demonstrated that the genes I focused on in this study are indispensable for sperm maturation.
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
本研究の結果から、精巣上体における精子成熟の制御メカニズムの一端が明らかになった。特に、精子の透明帯への接着能力付与メカニズムに関与する遺伝子群を同定できたことは、精巣上体の生理学的な役割を理解する上で極めて重要である。マウスと同様に、ヒトや家畜においても精巣上体は雄の生殖能力を左右する重要な器官であり、本研究で得られた知見は、ヒト医療あるいは畜産分野において、不妊および低繁殖症の原因解明の一助になると期待できる。
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