Search for assembly intermediates of photosynthetic proteins by high-throughput single-molecule spectroscopy

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19H03187
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 43040:Biophysics-related
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Shibata Yutaka 東北大学, 理学研究科, 准教授 (20300832)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 高橋 裕一郎 岡山大学, 異分野基礎科学研究所, 教授 (50183447) ; 鞆 達也 東京理科大学, 教養教育研究院神楽坂キャンパス教養部, 教授 (60300886)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 低温顕微鏡 / タンパク質Assembly / 励起スペクトル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In order to reveal the mechanism based on which photosynthetic proteins are automatically assembled within biological systems, I aimed to detect the intermediate states of their assembly processes. Since such intermediates are generated only transiently and therefore accumulate only a tiny amount, detection of these components are quite difficult. To overcome the difficulty, I extended the single molecule detection technique to perform an exhaustive survey of all the components within a sample. The present development have established a method to characterize components with a tiny amount within a sample.

Free Research Field

生物物理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

光合成を駆動するタンパク質の構造は明らかとなり、反応機構解明も進んだ。一方で、複雑な構造が生体内で自発的に構築される機構はほとんど分かっていない。特に１００個近い色素分子が、大きなタンパク質分子の所定の位置に正しく結合する機構は全くの謎である。光合成反応を駆動するタンパク質の構築機構が分かれば、人工的に光合成反応を起こす分子機械の合成にもヒントとなると期待される。