Relationships between cell assembly formation and functional organ formation

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H04322
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: System genome science
• Research Institution: Nara Institute of Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Matsui Takaaki 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, 先端科学技術研究科, 准教授 (60403333)
• Research Collaborator: BESSHO Yasumasa ; AKIYAMA Ryutaro ; YAMADA Sohei ; HOSOKAWA Yoichiroh
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 形態形成 / 器官形成 / ノイズ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we aimed to understand how “highly organized cell assemblies” are constructed from "fluctuating" cells within multicellular organisms. In order to understand this logic, we quantitatively evaluated the cell morphology, signal activities, physical characteristics of the cells within the Kupffer’s vesicle, epidermis, and somites in zebrafish embryos, and constructed a mathematical model using such quantitative data. We revealed the existence of the “noise canceling mechanism” when highly organized cell assemblies are formed from fluctuating cells.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、研究代表者らのこれまでの研究を発展させた独創的なもので、生物の形づくりの原理、特に、環境対応、器官形成、発生制御、システムの柔軟性と堅牢性、ボディープランに対する理解を深めることが期待される。また、本研究で明らかにした細胞集団形成のロジックは、再生医療に必須な「細胞や細胞集団を自由に操る」技術開発への展開が期待される。