Analysis of prokaryote-eukaryote interaction and the DNA transfer system connecting between those two organisms

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K07200
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Genome biology
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Moriguchi Kazuki 広島大学, 理学研究科, 講師 (30294523)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 遺伝子の水平伝播 / ゲノム / 生物界間接合 / 四型分泌系（T4SS） / プラスミド / 原核―真核生物間相互作用 / 応用微生物

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In trans-kingdom conjugation (TKC), there are more TKC promoting factors than inhibitors in donor Escherichia coli although both exist. It is predicted that most of the promoting factors are not for the conjugation mechanism but for the interaction between donor E. coli and recipient Saccharomyces cerevisiae, suggesting the latter are more influential. In the case of bacterial conjugation, neither promoting factor nor inhibitor were isolated from recipient E. coli, suggesting the evolution of such influential factors are convergent.
From the viewpoint of donor E. coli, it seems to have higher potential ability to evolve repressively on TKC, on the other hand, at least it seems to have potential abilities in both promotion and repression of bacterial conjugation.

Free Research Field

ゲノム生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ゲノム解析の進展に伴い，原核生物だけではなく真核生物においても水平伝播による遺伝子の獲得例の報告が急速に蓄積してきている。本研究で報告したように，大腸菌と酵母の培養液を混合するだけで簡便に検出可能なレベルで水平伝播が生じるということは，四型分泌系が，真核生物の水平伝播による遺伝子獲得の有力な動力源の一つであることを示唆している。
また，供与大腸菌の接合変異株の特定・解析は，簡便な遺伝子導入技術の開発や，薬剤耐性遺伝子の拡散防止技術の開発に貢献する。