Investigation of intracellular distribution and physiological importance of phosphatidylserine

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K18954
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: General anatomy (including histology/embryology)
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Tsuji Takuma 名古屋大学, 医学系研究科, 助教 (40725628)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: ホスファチジルセリン / 急速凍結 / 凍結割断レプリカ / 免疫電顕 / 細胞膜 / オルガネラ膜 / リン脂質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is one of phospholipids and is a component of the cell membrane. The physiological importance of PS is not well understood because of methodological difficulty to define PS distribution, although asymmetrical or heterogeneous distribution of PS would have essential function in the cell. In this study, we investigated PS distribution by utilizing quick-freeze and freeze-fracture replica labeling electron microscopy. As a result, we found that PS distributed evenly on the both leaflet of the ER and nuclear membrane and unevenly on the golgi membrane of budding yeast. Furthermore PS is labeled on the extracellular leaflet of plasma membrane and cytosolic leaflet of ER/outer nuclear membrane of MEF cell.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学