Verification of local translational mechanism contributing to polarized cellular mechano-responses

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K19934
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 90:Biomedical engineering and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Principal Investigator: SAKAMOTO NAOYA 首都大学東京, システムデザイン研究科, 准教授 (20361115)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 生物・生体工学 / メカノバイオロジー / 細胞バイオメカニクス / 細胞骨格 / 細胞核

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study explored the role of the relationship between the nuclear mechanical properties and the local protein synthesis in the polarized morphological changes of cells induced by substrate cyclic stretching. We did not find any detectable interactions between the nuclear mechanical properties and the distributions of intranuclear RNA and intracellular protein syntheses. However, our results indicate that the bindings of actin filaments, one of the cytoskeletons, to the nucleus play important roles in the formation of polarized shapes of cells and the time course changes of intranuclear mechanical properties under cyclic stretching condition.

Free Research Field

メカノバイオロジー

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

力学環境に対する細胞応答は身体の生理機能維持や病理に深く関与することが知られている．細胞の力学環境への応答メカニズムにおいて，細胞外部の力学環境情報の細胞核への伝達および細胞核の変形が重要な役割を担うとして注目されている．力学特性は変形に極めて密接にかかわる物性であり，本研究結果は，アクチンフィラメントを介した細胞核への力学刺激伝達，さらに伝達された力学刺激によって細胞核自身の力学特性およびそれに伴う変形が経時的に変化することを意味しており，細胞応答メカニズムの解明に大きく寄与すると考えられる．