Approach to the substance of bacterial extracellular genetic information storage device

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K19124
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 38:Agricultural chemistry and related fields
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Nagata Yuji 東北大学, 生命科学研究科, 教授 (30237531)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大坪 嘉行 東北大学, 生命科学研究科, 准教授 (40342761)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-06-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 細菌進化 / ゲノム / 未開拓遺伝子資源 / 膜小胞 / 挿入配列 / 可動性遺伝因子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To elucidate the substance of the bacterial extracellular genetic information storage device and the mechanism of its utilization, we analyzed membrane vesicles (MVs) of γ-HCH-degrading bacteria and the mechanism of horizontal gene transfer of γ-HCH-degrading genes. As a result, we clarified for the first time that γ-HCH-degrading bacteria release MVs and that these MVs contain linA, which is not easily degraded by DNase, suggesting that MVs can function as a reservoir of genetic information. On the other hand, linB of the γ-HCH-degrading bacterial strain UT26 was found to be located on an integrative and conjugative element (ICE). Since all of the linB genes in other γ-HCH-degrading strains are flanked by IS6100, this finding will provide new insights into the horizontal gene transfer of the γ-HCH-degrading genes.

Free Research Field

応用微生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は、細菌ゲノムの進化原理に関する新たな重要な知見を提示するものであり、微生物関連分野に与える影響は極めて大きい。また、γ-HCH分解遺伝子のような起源不明な特殊遺伝子は、環境汚染物質分解以外にも、抗生物質耐性や動植物への感染など他の様々な細菌機能にも利用されていることから、微生物の未開拓な新規遺伝子取得法の確立という微生物の機能開発の観点からの応用への展開にも直結し、様々な分野の産業界への幅広い波及効果が期待できる。