Challenge of controlling conformation of proteins using intense THz-radiations

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H03891
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Optical engineering, Photon science
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: Notake Takashi 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 光量子工学研究センター, 研究員 (70413995)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: タンパク質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Proteins play an important role extremely to sustain vital activities. Because their biological functions strongly depend on conformation structure, development of control methods for protein conformation has become important and hot topic recently. Low frequency collective mode is thought to be an essential vibration when proteins change their conformation under thermal energy fluctuation and their vibrational frequencies are present in terahertz region. Therefore, there is a possibility that terahertz wave can excite the low frequency collective mode and influence the conformational structure.
We investigated an effect of terahertz wave irradiation to BSA samples. slight spectrum differences in circular dichroism and fluorescence were observed for irradiated and unirradiated samples. In order to measure effects of terahertz wave irradiation to proteins more directly and clearly, real time fluorescence measurement system is under development.

Free Research Field

テラヘルツ光学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

タンパク質のコンフォメーションは、タンパク質が発現する固有の生体機能と直接関係しており、極めて重要な研究対象である。本研究が成功すれば、アルツハイマーや筋萎縮性側索硬化症、パーキンソン病などのコンフォメーション病と呼ばれる様々な神経性難病の原因究明や治療法の開発に役立つ事は間違いない。更に、タンパク質のコンフォメーション状態と機能の関係理解の深化や、全く新しい機能を有するタンパク質の開発等にも貢献すると考えられ、医療や生命科学の分野に革新的な成果をもたらす事が期待できる。