Environmental, Evolutionary Developmental Study on Changes in Gcm genes and Regulating Organs for Blood Calcium Concentration.

在它们的进化过程中，脊椎动物从水中入侵了陆地。血钙需要恒定的浓度才能维持正常的生命活动。然而，脊椎动物中确实存在一些器官来调节钙，这取决于钙浓度和/或其在特定环境中的分布。我们利用小鼠、斑马鱼和多翅目鱼类(Polypterus)，研究了一些GCM基因及其调控途径对每个器官发育和功能的进化影响。我们开展了条件性基因敲除小鼠的构建、斑马鱼离子细胞形成过程中GCM基因的增强子分析、多翅目鱼类外鳃的发育分析以及GCM基因组的比较基因组学研究。

During their evolution, vertebrate animals had invaded the land from water. Blood calcium needs a constant concentration to maintain normal life activities. However, a number of organs do exist for calcium regulation among vertebrate animals, depending on calcium concentration and/or its distribution in a given environment. Using mice, zebrafish and Polypterus, one of living species representing common ancestors of ray-finned fishes (actinopterygians), we have investigated evolutionary effects of changes in a number of Gcm genes and their regulatory pathways on development and function of each organ. We have carried out a construction of conditional knockout mice, enhancer analyses of Gcm genes involved in the formation of zebrafish ionocytes, developmental analyses of external gills in Polypterus and comparative genomics of Gcm genomes.