Developmental Dynamics SUGIMOTO LAB.
How is a complex animal individual formed from a fertilized egg?
Aiming to understand the principles of cellular dynamics and evolutionary processes in development, we are conducting analyses from molecular to individual level using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and related species.
Our experimental approach integrates molecular genetics, high spatio-temporal resolution live imaging, biochemistry, and functional genomics.
What is the nematode C. elegans?
C. elegans was selected as a model organism for multicellular animals by Sydney Brenner in the 1970s, and has since contributed to the discovery of many important mechanisms, such as programmed cell death and RNA interference. It consists of only 959 cells, and its cell lineage has been fully determined. C. elegans is hermaphroditic, has a short generation time of three days, and various genetic manipulation techniques can be applied. Furthermore, its transparent body makes it suitable for live imaging. These characteristics make it a valuable model for studying a wide range of biological processes.
1. Research on tissue-specific regulation of microtubule formation
1cell embryo
The complex body of multicellular organisms is formed by repeating cell division of a fertilized egg at a specific time and axis. How do cells divide and differentiate correctly to become an organism with various tissues? To answer this question, we are focusing on microtubules, one of the cytoskeletons, and studying how the formation and dynamics of microtubules are controlled during specific tissue and cell cycle phases. In particular, we are focusing on the control of centrosomes (spindle poles), the properties of tubulin isotypes, and the tissue specificity of the γ-tubulin complex (microtubule nucleator).
2. Comparative analysis of related nematode species
C. elegans
C. inopinata
C. inopinata is the closest nematode species to C. elegans, which was discovered from the fig (Ficus septica) on Ishigaki Island in 2013. These two species show differences in various aspects, such as their habitat, optimal temperature, body size, mating style, and induction cue for resistant larvae. We aim to elucidate how such significant differences arise between genetically closely related species, and to understand the evolutionary process of universal biological mechanisms through comparative analysis of genome information and gene function at the molecular, cellular, and individual levels.
3. Evolutionary cell biology
C. elegans
P. pacificus
We are conducting comparative analyses at the cellular level between closely related nematode species. Previous studies have revealed that there are essential processes as well as evolutionarily variable processes that are necessary for the development. Moreover, it is common for certain essential genes in one organism to be missing in other organisms. However, how these organisms achieve the necessary developmental processes in the absence of the lost genes remains unclear. To address this question, we are investigating spindle formation, germ granule assembly, and sex determination pathways in C. elegans and its closely related species.
4. Chromosome Engineering
germline
C. elegans and its closely related nematode species have a relatively small number of chromosomes, only six, and the structure of the entire genome is well-characterized. Therefore, we are using advanced genetic manipulation techniques to artificially rearrange genomes or alter the localization of kinetochores. These artificial manipulations provide clues to the mechanisms of genome homeostasis maintenance, as well as the potential to generate new species. We are also studying the mechanism of programmed DNA elimination observed in certain nematode species.