Universality and diversity of regulatory mechanisms for muscle contraction in striated and non-striated muscle cells

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K07143
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal physiology/Animal behavior
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: SATO Naruki 千葉大学, 大学院理学研究院, 准教授 (40261896)
• Research Collaborator: Minokawa Takuya ; Kawamura Yuuki
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 横紋筋 / 非横紋筋 / 筋収縮 / トロポニン / 半索動物 / ミオシン結合タンパク質 / パラミオシン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

(1) I examined the muscle of a hemichordate, to clarify whether this animal is like echinoderms or like the other deuterostome animals. I identified a paramyosin, which is a myosin binding protein characteristic of muscle of invertebrate animals, in the smooth muscle of acorn worm. On the other hand, troponin, a Ca2+-dependent regulator of muscle contraction, was not detected in the isolated thin filaments. The results indicate that troponin is lacking in thin filaments of acorn worm muscle just as in those of echinoderms. The muscle of hemichordate acorn worm is quite similar to echinoderm muscles, but different from chordate muscles. (2) I revealed that troponin, which is characteristic of striated muscle of various animals, is expressed in non-striated muscle cells of planaria. (3) Myosin-binding protein-C and -H bound to not only myosin filaments and connectin/titin but also actin filaments. The results suggest that mybp-C and -H might be regulators of muscle contraction.

Free Research Field

生物学