Project/Area Number |
24655151
|
Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
|
Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
Research Field |
Chemistry related to living body
|
Research Institution | Kyoto University |
Principal Investigator |
|
Project Period (FY) |
2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
|
Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2013)
|
Budget Amount *help |
¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
|
Keywords | サーモセンサー / 蛍光タンパク質 / coiled-coil / tsGFP / TWIX |
Research Abstract |
In mammals and birds, thermoregulation to conserve body temperature is vital to life. Multiple mechanisms of thermogeneration localized in different subcellular organelles have been proposed. However, previous studies have failed to observe thermogenesis directly in intact organelles. Here, we have visualized intracellular thermogenesis by using a fluorescent thermosensor, tsGFP. Specific targeting of tsGFPs enables visualization of thermogenesis in discrete organelles, notably mitochondria in brown adipocytes and the endoplasmic reticulum in myotubes. Strikingly, in HeLa cells, targeted tsGFP reveals heterogeneity in mitochondrial thermogenesis that is well correlated with the electrochemical gradient. Thus, tsGFPs directly demonstrate subcellular thermotransduction, and will serve as powerful tools to assess thermogenesis in vivo.
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