Abnormal organelle recognition mechanism through interactions with ubiquitin-like autophagy proteins

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H03281
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 44030:Plant molecular biology and physiology-related
• Research Institution: Meiji University
• Principal Investigator: Yoshimoto Kohki 明治大学, 農学部, 専任教授 (40399316)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: オートファジー / オルガネラ / 分解 / 品質管理

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Autophagy is the major system responsible for the vacuolar degradation of organelles and cytosolic macromolecules. I have so far discovered that plants activate autophagy during photosynthesis and control the quality of green leaf peroxisomes, contributing to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. However, it was not clear how autophagy recognizes abnormal organelles and degrades them neither too much nor too little. The purpose of this research project is to elucidate when and how damaged organelles are recognized and degraded, and to clarify the mechanism at the molecular level by such as co-immunoprecipitation experiments. Based on the resultant results, I tried to elucidate the quality control mechanism of green leaf peroxisomes.

Free Research Field

植物分子細胞生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

一度大地に芽生えると動くことのできない植物が、過酷な環境に適応するために、細胞内分解系をどのように利用してオルガネラの品質を保っているのかを分子レベルで明らかにすることで、植物の巧みな生存戦略の一端を紐解くことができると考える。さらに、その分子機構を従属栄養生物のそれと比較することは進化を考えるうえでも大変重要で興味深い問題である。また、植物オートファジーの研究からペルオキシソームの品質管理の分子機構に迫る点は独創的であり、学術的意義がある。