2023 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
The evolutionary transition from minimal cells to organelles
| Project/Area Number |
21K15070
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| Research Institution | Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University |
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Principal Investigator |
枡鏡 優美子 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 進化・細胞・共生の生物学ユニット, 技術員 (10839848)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2025-03-31
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| Keywords | Comparative genomics / Free-living bacteria / Symbiotic bacteria / Evolutional transition / Genome reduction / Multi-omics |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This research project aims to study the evolutionary transition from the simplest self-replicating bacteria to highly host-dependent symbiotic bacteria, along the path of free-living bacteria to eventually organelles. To better understand how free-living bacteria become host-dependent, the research focuses on comparative genomics on the details what kind of genes are lost or acquired.
Multi-omics and microscopic approaches are performed to reveal the functional comparison of two distinct bacteria.
Detailed gene comparisons are currently in progress to compare simplest self-replicating Mycoplasma spp. and highly host-dependent insect symbiotic bacteria Tremblaya using several different bioinformatics tools.
Multiple different electron microscopy methods are applied and tested to reveal ultrastructural morphological differences on these two distinct bacteria in their host cell systems. The analysis on electron microscopy images are in progress.
The metabolomic data analysis are also currently in progress as collaborative project with the University of Melbourne.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
4: Progress in research has been delayed.
Reason
The research project is in delay because I did not have time to visit collaboration laboratories to finish off the metabolomics work in 2023.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Electron microscopy images to investigate morphological differences in host cells were completed in 2023. In 2024, I will focus on the image analysis and finish up the imaging part of this project. Some metabolomics trials and data analyses were done by 2023. In 2024, I plan to conduct some more experiments for confirming the trial studies by visiting collaborator laboratories at the University of Melbourne.
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| Causes of Carryover |
I had to carry over the remaining cost to the next fiscal year as I could not use this budget for planned collaborative work with the University of Melbourne. I will use the remaining budget to perform the experiments at the University of
Melbourne. I am also planning to use the budget for microscopy consumables.
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