Japan Society for the Promotion of Science:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
Date (from‐to) : 1995 -1997
Author : KAMADA Hiroshi; KAWAKAMI Naoto; SATOH Shinobu; INOGUCHI Masahiko; SASAKI Kazuo; KOSHIBA Tomokazu
During 3 years of this project, 16 Japanese and 3 French researchers visited each country, and the following joint-researchers have been done.
1. Metabolism of Phytohormones : Using various Arabidopsis mutants obtained in France, genes mediating the synthesis of auxin and abscisic acid (ABA) were newly isolated. 2. Embryogenesis and Regulation of Gene Expression : Using a transcription factor mediating embryo-specific ABA signal transduction which was isolated in France, a homologous gene of carrot was isolated. We made transgenic plants and cells in which the homologue was over-expressed and characterized it. We succeeded to identify some genes of which the expresson was controlled by the transcription factor, and moreover, it was clarified that the transcription factor and the down-regulated genes are involving in the acquisition of desiccattion tolerance. On the other hand, using the antibody against calmodulin-binding proteins in carrot which was prepared in France, the cahnge of the protein patterns during carrot somatic embryogenesis was identified. 3. Flower Differentiation and Sexuality : When Japanese researchers isolated a Pharbitis gene of which the expression was detected just after the flower-inductive photoperiodic treatment and compared the DNA sequence to known genes, it was found that the gene shows strong similarity to one of the genes which were isolated as EST clones in Arabidopsis seeds in France. By exchange of the informations of the genes obtained in Japan and France, we conducted to compare the physiological functions of the genes and the characteristics of the expression and finally the overall images of the gene family was clarified. Furthermore, using Cannabis in Japan and Melandryum in France, we succeeded to isolate and characterize a part of sex chromosomes in both plants. 4. Cell Division : Studies on new peptide growth factors stimulating plant cell division have been proceeded, and a new aspect of cell division in plants was opened.
The Japan-French Workshop on "Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology" was held in Tsukuba city in the autumn of 1997. In the workshop, Japan and French Researchers concerning with this Joint-Program presented their results obtained in this co-operative work and discussed enough the research and the future collaboration.