The design of the silica cell wall to be elucidated using Palma algae.

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K06725
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 44040:Morphology and anatomical structure-related
• Research Institution: Fukui Prefectural University
• Principal Investigator: Yoshikawa Shinya 福井県立大学, 海洋生物資源学部, 教授 (20405070)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 根本 理子 岡山大学, 環境生命科学学域, 准教授 (30625926)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞壁 / バイオミネラリゼーション

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A common feature of Palmae and siliceous algae is that they have a cell wall composed mainly of silica. Previous studies using siliceous algae have discovered several proteins that together with silica constitute the cell wall, but the role of these proteins in the cell during cell wall formation has not been fully elucidated because it is difficult to artificially create cells without a cell wall in siliceous algae. In this study, genes involved in cell wall formation will be identified by screening of cell wall-deficient strains, transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq analysis), biochemical analysis and genome analysis, in order to clarify the mechanism of silica cell wall formation using Palmerophyceae, which can arbitrarily control cell wall synthesis, unlike silicophytes. Identification of genes involved in cell wall formation.

Free Research Field

進化

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ケイ藻は海洋で最も繁栄している一次生産者であり、推定10万種以上と多様性に富んでいる。パルマ藻とケイ藻において最も特徴的な共通の性質はシリカの細胞壁を持つことである。シリカの細胞壁の形状は種間で異なること、捕食・ウイルス感染・紫外線の防御、沈降速度の制御など多様な機能を持つことが知られている。そのため“ケイ素の取込み”“シリカの重合”“細胞壁の放出と隣接している細胞壁との結合”から成るシリカの細胞壁の形成機構の解明は、ケイ藻の形態形成や進化・繁栄を理解する上で重要である。