A new strategy for investigating GPCR-based physiologies by using rhodopsins

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K21433
• 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: Osaka Metropolitan University (2022); Osaka City University (2020-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Koyanagi Mitsumasa 大阪公立大学, 大学院理学研究科, 教授 (30379276)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: ロドプシン / GPCR / 光遺伝学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are involved in various physiologies, and therefore have been studied not only for understanding the mechanisms underlying biological activities but also drug discovery. In this study, we developed a new method by using optogenetic tools for understanding functions of orphan GPCRs. We examined functionality of two kinds of bistable opsins in vivo and demonstrated high performance optical control of GPCR signaling by the bistable opsins in their molecular property manners, such as high sensitive or color-dependent optical controls.

Free Research Field

光生物学、分子進化学、光遺伝学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究によって、動物の光受容タンパク質をベースにした高い機能性をもつ光操作ツールが見出された。GPCRは、ヒトに800種類存在し、多様な生命機能の解明という学術的興味だけでなく、創薬のターゲットとして医学薬学的にも注目されていることから、本研究で示した新しい光操作ツールはGPCR研究を加速することで、社会に大きく貢献すると期待される。