Research Projects

1995 - 1996

Molecular Mechanisms of Transdifferentiation and Stabilization in Differentiation of Animal Tissue Cells

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)  Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

Grant number
07458197
Japan Grant Number (JGN)
JP07458197
Grant amount
(Total)
7,100,000 Japanese Yen
(Direct funding)
7,100,000 Japanese Yen

The following results were obtained by conducting the research plans in 1996.
(1) Through extensive studies to improve our authentic in vitro transdifferentiation system of retinal pigmented epithelial cells (PECs) from 8 to 10-day-old chick embryos, both bFGF were found to be essential factors regulating transdifferentiation of PECs. In addition, by introducing these tow growth factors to cell cultures, we succeeded in establishing a novel and highly stable in vitro experimental system of the iris PECs from neuwly-hatched chicks. The system allows us to manipulate the whole process of the lens transdifferentiation of PECs without any artificial reagent.
(2) Analyzes using this system revealed that activation of MAP kinase is an essential requisite for dedif-ferentiation of PECs and that the expression of two homeobox genes, pax6 and six3 are dramatically enhanced by coordinated functions of bFGF and EGF.
(3) The following results were obtained through detailed analysis of changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) during transdifferentiation of PECs that beta1 integrin plays an essential role in stable maintenance of the differentiated state of PECs by transmitting signals from ECM components to PECs, and that beta1 integrin molecules are readily phospholylated to lose their function when dedifferentiation of PECs is initiated.
(4) It was resulted in by cloning and structural and functional analysis of avian microphthalmia gene (mi) that mutation of mi must be responsible for ectopic formation of the neural retina from the developing pigmented epithelium in Silver mutant of the quail, and also that mi is one of essential genes, which regulate dedifferentiation and transdifferentiation of the vertebrate PEC.
(5) These findings must provide the fundamental information required for approaching to the molecular mechanisms involved in transdifferentiation and stability in differentiation of tissue cells in general.

Link information
KAKEN
https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-07458197
ID information
  • Grant number : 07458197
  • Japan Grant Number (JGN) : JP07458197