Elucidating the significance of the template in centriole duplication

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K06257
• 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: Hosei University
• Principal Investigator: Hirono Masafumi 法政大学, 生命科学部, 教授 (10212177)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 中心小体 / 基底小体 / クラミドモナス / トリプレット微小管 / SAS-6

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Centrioles are conserved organelles composed of nine triplet microtubules, and new centrioles (daughters) are “duplicated” from pre-existing centrioles (mothers). This manner of formation is common in eukaryotes, but its significance is unknown. This study investigated the correlation between the number of microtubules in mother and daughter centrioles in a Chlamydomonas mutant in which the number of triplet microtubules in the centriole varied, and explored the possibility that the duplication limits the number of microtubules. After searching for a method to measure the number of microtubules in a significant number of centrioles, we were able to measure the number of microtubules in isolated centrioles by the expansion microscopy. Measuring the microtubule numbers in mother-daughter centriole pairs by this technique may provide clues to the significance of centriole duplication in the near future.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

中心子は進化の過程で高く保存されており、その9回対称性構造は繊毛の内部構造（9＋2構造）の鋳型として重要な意味をもつ。その形が、複製という一見奇妙な形成様式を経ることは数十年前から見いだされていたが、その意義は未だに謎のままである。本研究課題は中心子の9回対称性構造の確立にこの形成様式が寄与している可能性を追求する、野心的な試みであった。残念ながら研究期間内にこの謎の解明には至らなかったが、この問題への１つのアプローチ法を示すことができた。