Measurement of intracellular pH as a marker of dedifferentiation in eukaryotes

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K06099
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 43040:Biophysics-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Morimoto Yusuke 九州工業大学, 大学院情報工学研究院, 教授 (50631777)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞分化 / 脱分化 / 細胞内pH / シグナル伝達 / 蛍光イメージング / c-di-GMP

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Using stalk cell differentiation in a cellular slime mold as a model, we established an imaging method to capture pH changes associated with differentiation and dedifferentiation as a highly sensitive marker of differentiation and dedifferentiation in eukaryotes. By time-lapse pH imaging, we succeeded in capturing the decrease in cytosolic pH associated with differentiation into prestalk cells and the increase in cytosolic pH associated with dedifferentiation from prestalk cells to growing cells. In addition, we visualized c-di-GMP signaling, which is thought to be involved in the stalk cell differentiation in cellular slime molds as well as pH, and clarified the spatiotemporal dynamics of c-di-GMP signal during development. This is the first achievement in the world to visualize c-di-GMP signal working in eukaryotes.

Free Research Field

生物物理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

細胞性粘菌の柄細胞分化をモデルとし、pH変化を高感度な分化・脱分化マーカーとして捉える計測手法を確立した。細胞質pH変化は細胞内の物理量の変化であり、細胞内のタンパク質、脂質等、さまざまな機能を変化させるため、細胞性粘菌の発生機構に限らず、細胞分化のグローバルなトリガーとして働いている可能性があり、他の真核生物種への応用が期待される。また、もう一つの成果として、世界で初めて真核生物内で働くc-di-GMPシグナルの可視化に成功した。c-di-GMPは原核生物のグローバルシグナルであるとともに、ヒト細胞において自然免疫応答を引き起こすことも知られているため、幅広い応用が期待される。