Cell processing capacity explored by expression limits of proteins

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K19300
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 43:Biology at molecular to cellular levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Moriya Hisao 岡山大学, 環境生命科学研究科, 准教授 (60500808)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 紀藤 圭治 明治大学, 農学部, 専任准教授 (40345632)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞 / 過剰発現 / 細胞内輸送 / 酵母

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the process of expressing their functions, proteins undergo various processes such as synthesis, folding, transport, and degradation. These processes are thought to have different processing capacities, depending on the amount of resources devoted to them. However, the processing capacity of intracellular processes has never been investigated before. In this study, we identified the proteins that are processed by specific processes in budding yeast with the highest critical expression levels by using the genetic tug-of-war method, which measures the critical expression level of proteins, and protein quantification. By using these proteins as indicator proteins, the ability to process intracellular processes, especially protein synthesis and transport processes, was clarified.

Free Research Field

システムゲノム科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

細胞がタンパク質生産工場である限り、原理的には、どんなタンパク質でも究極的に大量発現するとプロセスの負荷が生じ、増殖阻害を起こすはずである。一方、これまで過剰発現による増殖阻害のメカニズムは、細胞の処理能力をまったく加味せず議論されてきた。あるタンパク質の過剰が増殖阻害を起こすことが見つかった時、それが処理能力に過負荷をかけていない事が分かって初めて、そのタンパク質に特異的なメカニズムを議論することができる。したがって、本研究の成果は過剰発現の考え方を根底から変える可能性がある。