FBS Colloquia No.282KOKORO-Biology Group

The analysis of spontaneous mutations in mice

De novo germline mutations are the ultimate resource for organism evolution and congenital disorders. We have repeated mouse passages over a long period of time to know the relationship between de novo mutations and organism evolution. This experiment, which started in 2006, has passed 50 generations in the 15 years to date. We are working on mutation research by analyzing these mouse mutation accumulation strains using a next-generation sequencer. In this talk, we will introduce a new method for reconstructing and tracking early embryonic cell lineages. In the detection of mutations using the next-generation sequencer, in addition to the common homozygous and heterozygous mutations, "mosaic mutations" that exist at low frequency in tissues can also be detected. By detecting these mutations and accurately measuring their allele frequencies in tissues, we can trace the embryonic cell lineages close to single cell division resolution. This method allow tracing the cell lineages from the zygote to the specification into primordial germ cells. In addition, if I have time, I will introduce our latest results using long-read sequencers.