Exploring anti-aging factors secreted by bacteria that extend the lifespan of insects

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K19239
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 43:Biology at molecular to cellular levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: Hosei University
• Principal Investigator: Oshima Kenro 法政大学, 生命科学部, 教授 (00401183)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-07-09 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: ファイトプラズマ / 老化 / 分泌タンパク質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Phytoplasma is a pathogenic bacterium that parasitizes within plant cells. Phytoplasmas intracellularly parasitize not only plants but also insects, and are transmitted from plant to plant via insect vectors. Insect vectors infected with phytoplasma have a longer lifespan and maintain the number of eggs laid even in old age. Although the mechanism involved in the anti-aging effect of phytoplasma has been of interest, the whole picture has been unclear. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the mechanism of host manipulation involved in this phenomenon, and cloned a total of 7 new phytoplasma secreting proteins and identified host proteins that interact with the secretory proteins.

Free Research Field

植物病理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

一般に細胞の老化には酸化や糖化が関わることが知られているが、ファイトプラズマの分泌タンパク質にはこのような酵素活性に関わるモチーフやドメインが存在しない。そのため、これまでの知見とは全く異なるメカニズムで老化を抑えている可能性を秘めており、新たな視点からアンチエイジングの研究分野に切り込むことが期待される。