Verification of thermal factors for detachment of gliding microtubules and application to detachment control

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K18782
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 20:Mechanical dynamics, robotics, and related fields
• Research Institution: Yamaguchi University
• Principal Investigator: Nakahara Tasuku 山口大学, 大学院創成科学研究科, 准教授 (00756968)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-06-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: キネシン / 微小管 / 光熱効果 / MicroTAS / BioMEMS

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To evaluate the factors behind the detachment and re-entry of gliding microtubules at the irradiated areas, samples with Au/Cr thin films that induce photothermal effects were fabricated in this study. We constructed gliding microtubules on the fabricated samples and observed the microtubules when excitation light was irradiated. As a result, it was confirmed that the detachment time of the microtubules decreased with the increase in rise of temperature. Additionally, it was revealed that the presence or absence of adenosine triphosphate, which serves as the driving source for kinesin, influences the detachment phenomenon. Furthermore, we confirmed that another microtubule re-entered the region once it had been detached, restoring the microtubule density to about 30% of its initial level. In the future, we plan to investigate the detailed mechanisms of the microtubule detachment phenomenon and develop applications using detachment control technology.

Free Research Field

BioMEMS

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまでに、微小管運動の剥離要因としてキネシンの付着密度や微小管長さ等の影響について評価した例は報告されているが、熱による影響を検証し、微小管の剥離現象を制御技術として応用した例は報告されていない。本研究では光熱効果によって生じる微小管剥離の要因と、剥離させた領域へ別の微小管が再進入する要因を検証し、温度上昇量の大きさとキネシンの運動が影響していることを明らかにした。また、任意の光照射領域において最小10 sで微小管を剥離させることができたため、本技術は将来、微小管運動を輸送機構として応用する際、輸送対象を特定の位置で選別できるツールになると考えられる。