Role of cell polarity control pathway in lifespan control

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K05377
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 38030:Applied biochemistry-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Hirata Dai 新潟大学, 自然科学系, 教授 (30243603)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 酵母 / チェックポイント機構 / 寿命制御 / 細胞極性 / 環境適応 / アルコール発酵

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we examined the possibility that the yeast cell polarity control pathway, which is functionally related to the checkpoint mechanism, may be involved in lifespan control that is newly activated during environmental adaptation (under alcohol fermentation conditions). As a result, we found that the fermentation process consists of two phases. These are the early phase (phase 1), in which yeast grows and alcohol fermentation begins, and the latter phase (phase 2), in which growth stops and the fermentation continues. Further, it was found that Bub1 of budding yeast, an essential molecule for the spindle assembly checkpoint, and Cds1 of fission yeast, an essential molecule for the DNA integrity checkpoint, are unlikely to be involved in lifespan control under high ethanol conditions (phase 2). On the other hand, it was suggested that fission yeast Bub1 may be partially involved in lifespan control in phase 2.

Free Research Field

応用生物化学（酵母遺伝学）

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

学術的意義は、従来、不明であった、環境適応時に新たに発動する寿命制御機構、特に、アルコール発酵という新たな環境適応条件下での寿命制御機構について、その研究の糸口を提示した点である。一方、社会的意義については、今後の研究の進展により、新たな寿命制御因子が同定できれば、当該因子を標的とする生理活性物質等の探索により、健康長寿法への展開の可能性が期待される。