Research
Germ cells are the sole and fundamental cells to leave offspring. Although germ cells in an animal body would be strictly regulated to avoid aberrant proliferation, cell death, and differentiation due to its biological significance, the regulatory mechanisms of germ cells have been largely unknown. To address the issues, we study the developmental mechanisms of germ cells in vertebrate embryos, focusing on the cellular and molecular interactions between germ cells and environmental somatic cells, in the contexts of germ cell maintenance and migration. We progress these researches by maximizing the advantages of avian system including in vivo high quality imaging, cell/tissue transplantation, germ cell culture, and transgenic chickens and quails. In addition to basic developmental researches, we are also interested in various applications of avian reproductive engineering.
