Formation and operation of chiral myofibrils in ascidian larval muscle cells.

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19369
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biology of Cells to Organisms, and related fields
• Research Institution: Hirosaki University
• Principal Investigator: Nishino Atsuo 弘前大学, 農学生命科学部, 准教授 (50343116)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 筋収縮 / キラリティー / 遊泳運動 / 細胞骨格 / 尾索動物 / 運動解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

While many motor patterns exhibited by animals are known to be chiral and biogenic macromolecules are also chiral in general, it is not so well recognized that animal cells are chiral in organizations and in movements. We depicted that tadpole-shaped larvae of ascidians, marine invertebrate chordates, tend to swim up along sinistral helices, and they possess twisted myofibrils in both of left and right side of the tail with the same chirality. In this study, we uncover the intrinsic process to form the chiral myofibrils in the muscle cells and using a library for molecular-signaling blockers we found several candidate factors that can regulate the formation of chiral myofibrils.

Free Research Field

動物生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヒトがボールを投げるときのような「キラルな運動」は他の動物で見ることができ，またその多くが個体差のない画一的な方向性を示す。本研究は，海産動物のホヤのオタマジャクシ幼生が，運動パターンにも，筋肉細胞の収縮装置にも画一的なキラリティーが見られることに注目して，この筋細胞の「螺旋性ができる仕組み」と，このねじれた筋原線維が「個体運動レベルの螺旋性を生み出す仕組み」の双方の解明に取り組んだ。本研究は，細胞がキラルな存在であること，そしてそのキラリティーに基づいて個体運動の回転が生み出される場合があることを明示する。