Investigation of intracellular wetting using autophagy in yeast

• Project/Area Number: 25K09574
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 43040:Biophysics-related
• Research Institution: Institute of Science Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: May Alexander 東京科学大学, 総合研究院, 助教 (50836400)
• Project Period (FY): 2025-04-01 – 2028-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2025)
• Budget Amount: ¥6,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,500,000); Fiscal Year 2027: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
• Keywords: Wetting / Membrane dynamics / Phase separation

Outline of Research at the Start

This project will examine 'wetting' interactions between phase-separated proteins condensates and membranes in cells. These interactions, which are similar to water droplets on leaves, depend on both the material properties of the condensate and the membrane and have an important influence on how materials behave in cells. I will quantify how condensates and membranes interact to better understand the role of wetting in cells.