Exploring Microbial Light-Harvesting with Rhodopsin in Extreme Polar Environments: Unveiling Distribution, Diversity, and Functional Insights

• Project/Area Number: 24K03072
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 63010:Environmental dynamic analysis-related
• Research Institution: National Institute of Polar Research
• Principal Investigator: WONG SHUKUAN 国立極地研究所, 北極観測センター, 特任研究員 (60808400)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 中島 悠 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 超先鋭研究開発部門(超先鋭研究開発プログラム), Young Research Fellow (70868265) ; 長谷川 万純 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 超先鋭研究開発部門(超先鋭研究開発プログラム), ポストドクトラル研究員 (50987617) ; 内田 雅己 国立極地研究所, 先端研究推進系, 准教授 (70370096)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2028-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥18,590,000 (Direct Cost: ¥14,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥4,290,000); Fiscal Year 2027: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥7,020,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,620,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥5,850,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,350,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000)
• Keywords: Rhodopsin / Polar region / Soil Microbiology / Polar Microbiology

Outline of Research at the Start

Given the unique light conditions in polar regions, we hypothesized that rhodopsin-bearing microorganisms would have different and unique adaptation strategies. Using integrated environmental and isolation-based approaches, we seek to uncover the prevalence, distribution, and roles of these microorganisms. This research will identify different rhodopsin types and factors influencing their expression to help understand the light-harvesting mechanisms in polar regions. Such insights could reshape our comprehension of carbon and energy flow, particularly in the nutrient-poor polar regions.