Mechanisms of cellular tensional homeostasis: measurement and analysis

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21H03796
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90110:Biomedical engineering-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Deguchi Shinji 大阪大学, 大学院基礎工学研究科, 教授 (30379713)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 張力ホメオスタシス / 適応 / メカノバイオロジー / 細胞バイオメカニクス / 慢性炎症 / CM-FRAP / 熱力学 / 統計力学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cells capable of proliferation possess a function called tension homeostasis, which allows for maintaining the internal physical tension of the cell at a constant level, thereby maintaining its structure and function. Malfunction in this ability leads to various diseases including atherosclerosis. In this project, we developed several novel methods to measure intracellular behavior during the cellular response in tension homeostasis. One of them, which we named the CM-FRAP method (Continuum mechanics-based fluorescence recovery after photobleaching), enables accurate measurement of molecular turnover rates even in the presence of complex intracellular flows and deformations. We then revealed that the turnover of actin molecules occurs more frequently in the central regions of mesenchymal cell types, while flow and deformation are more pronounced at the cell periphery, providing valuable insights into mechanisms underlying cellular tension homeostasis.

Free Research Field

バイオエンジニアリング

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

「張力ホメオスタシス」は細胞が外部環境の変化に適応し、内部の物理的・生化学的な状態を一定に保つ重要な機能です。この機能の不全は動脈硬化やがんなどの疾患と関連しており重要な研究課題です。しかし、この現象の理解には生物学だけでなく物理化学を含む広範な知識と技術が必要なために十分に研究が進んでいませんでした。本研究ではCM-FRAP法という新しい計測方法を開発し、細胞の張力ホメオスタシスのメカニズム、すなわち細胞が環境の変化に応じて適応的に振る舞う際の変化の仕組みを詳細に解析することが可能になりました。ここで得た知見は張力ホメオスタシスの不全に起因する様々な疾患の予防や治療に役立つ可能性があります。