Mechanism regulating a contractile ring-like structure by a constructive approach

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K19324
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 44:Biology at cellular to organismal levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Yamagishi Masahiko 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 特任研究員 (30815501)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 矢島 潤一郎 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 准教授 (00453499)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: アクチンフィラメント / ミオシン / 収縮環 / リポソーム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The contractile ring in animal cells, which is composed of actin filaments, the motor myosin and actin cross-linking protein, is a ring-like structure. To reconstitute the actomyosin-based ring-like structure with simple components, conditions on forming the structure and molecular processes were examined in an in vitro assay and in a liposome-based assay. We found that using single-molecular imaging techniques myosin-minifilaments have actin filament severing activity and actin cross-linking proteins have relatively weak actin-binding affinities. We also found that the actin-based structure depends on severing activity and actin cross-linking proteins. Our results suggest that actin-based ring-like structures may be controlled by actin regulatory molecules.

Free Research Field

細胞骨格とモータータンパク質の生物物理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

細胞が二分して増殖することは、生命の基本的現象であり、その解明は生命科学の主要な課題のひとつである。本研究は、細胞分裂研究の新たな手法の創出を目指し、収縮環形成機能を研究するに当たりその学術的意義がある。この新たな手法から得られた知見は、細胞分裂（増殖）がかかわる再生医療の分子基盤に繋がることが期待でき社会的意義が高い。