Chemical signals of synthetic nutrient conjugates

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Frontier research of chemical communications
• Project/Area Number: 17H06408
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Science and Engineering
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Uesugi Motonari 京都大学, 化学研究所, 教授 (10402926)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 竹本 靖 京都大学, 化学研究所, 助教 (50453543)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: ケミカルバイオロジー / 化合物ライブラリー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study pioneered a new field of "artificial nutrient conjugates," which are intermediate between natural products and synthetic compounds. We chemically synthesized a library of such conjugates composed of multiple endogenous nutrients and screened it for biologically active chemical tools. We were able to delineate their underlying mechanisms of action and dissect the complex chemical communications of nutrients and metabolites.

Free Research Field

ケミカルバイオロジー

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、天然物と合成化合物の中間にあたる「人工栄養素結合体」という新しい分野を開拓した。例えば、血糖値を抑える栄養素結合体、ワクチンの機能を高める栄養素結合体を発見し、それらがどのようにして活性を発揮するのかを理解した。これらの成果は医薬品開発に新しい考え方を提供できるかもしれない。