Mechanism of sexual differentiation and maintenance of the gonad

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Molecular mechanisms for establishment of sex differences.
• Project/Area Number: 22132007
• 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: National Institute for Basic Biology
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA Minoru 基礎生物学研究所, 生殖遺伝学研究室, 准教授 (80202175)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KOBAYASHI Satoru 大学共同利用機関法人自然科学研究機構(岡崎共通研究施設), 岡崎統合バイオサイエンスセンター, 教授 (90225508)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 性決定 / 性の維持 / 生殖細胞 / メダカ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

During development from the fertilized eggs, sex is first determined by the somatic cells. The somatic sex affects the fate of germ cells to develop into sperm or eggs (germ cell sex). However, nobody knows the mechanism in the germ cells which determines the fate (sperm or eggs). We revealed that medaka germ cell exhibits sexually different character before somatic sex is determined. Furthermore on the first time in vertebrates, we successfully identified the gene responsible for the fate decision in medaka germ cells. In the absence of the gene function, medaka develop the ovary ull of functional sperm, indicating that repression of initiation of the spermatogenesis is an essential component of the mechanism that determines the sex in germ cells.We also obtained the evidence that epigenetic regulation is important for proper manifestation of sex and that the sex is affected by an environmental factor(s) like nutrient restriction.

Free Research Field

生殖生物学