Analysis of cellular dynamics driving the directional rotation of epithelial tube using 3D vertex model

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Discovery of the logic that establishes the 3D structure of organisms
• Project/Area Number: 15H05863
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Matsuno Kenji 大阪大学, 理学研究科, 教授 (60318227)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-06-29 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 発生・分化 / 細胞・組織

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In invertebrates, the left-right (LR) asymmetry of their body structures is formed by the chirality of cells (cell chirality). An object is chiral if it is distinguishable from its mirror image. However, it has not been understood how cell chirality drives the LR asymmetric morphological changes of organs. To address this, we analyzed the 3-demensional structure of cells that comprise the Drosophila embryonic gut during its left-handed rotation. As a novel chirality of cells, we found that these cells twist, which seems to couple with the tissue rotation. Our 3-demensional vertex model of the gut tube demonstrated that the cell twisting can be a driving force of the tissue rotation. Thus, our results demonstrated that cell twisting is a novel dynamics of cells drives the LR asymmetric organ morphogenesis.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

器官の形成過程で起こる最終段階のアウトプットの一つは、厚みのある組織の3次元的な機械的変形であるが、これまでの研究のほとんどは、この過程を2次元で解析してきた。本研究計画において3次元解析を実施することで、細胞キラリティの実体が特定方向への細胞のねじれであることを初めて明らかにできた。世界に先駆けて実施した3次元メカニックスの解析は、臓器の変形を駆動している機構を現実に即して解明する上でのブレークスルーとなった。本研究のアプローチは、その他の組織、器官においても応用可能であり、本研究の成果によって、器官形成機構の研究に新たな指針を示すことができたと考える。