Molecular dissection of the spore surface structure by the fission yeast ADAM

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K07057
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cell biology
• Research Institution: Osaka City University
• Principal Investigator: Nakamura Taro 大阪市立大学, 大学院理学研究科, 教授 (30291082)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: ADAM / yeast / cell wall / spore

Outline of Final Research Achievements

ADAMs is a matrix-type protease and in involved in various life phenomena in higher organisms. The fission yeast S. pombe is the simplest organism which possesses ADAM (Mde10). Mde10 is responsible for construction of the characteristic structure of the spore surface (spike structure). In this study, we constructed various deletion mutants of Mde10 and addressed the interesting feature. i) Neither protease domain nor disintegrin domain was required for the function of Mde10. ii) The transmembrane domain was important for the formation of the spike structure. Furthermore, we identified two novel proteins (a fasciclin-domain protein and an alpha-amylase domain protein) involved in the spike formation.

Free Research Field

分子遺伝学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

申請者らはMde10の機能には、他のADAMで保存されているプロテアーゼやディスインテグリンドメインではなく、膜貫通ドメインが重要であることを明らかにした。高等生物においてADAMファミリータンパク質は免疫や受精などの高次生命現象で極めて重要な機能を果たすマトリックス型プロテアーゼである。本研究から得られた結果は、これまで知られているADAMの機能発現とは全く異なるものであり、ADAMの新しい機能に重要な知見を与えうると考えらえられる。