Optical and electron microscopic analyses on arrangements of bacterial membrane protein complexes

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24657108
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biophysics
• Research Institution: Hosei University
• Principal Investigator: KAWAGISHI Ikuro 法政大学, 生命科学部, 教授 (80234037)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KAWASAKI Kazunori 国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, 生命工学領域・バイオメディカル研究部門, 主任研究員 (40356837)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞膜 / 膜蛋白質 / 大腸菌 / 蛍光顕微鏡 / 電子顕微鏡 / 凍結割断レプリカ法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we aimed at identifying intra-membrane particles of Escherichia coli and characterizing their localization, arrangement and their regulation in response to environmental changes. We focused on chemoreceptors, which form a huge cluster at a pole of the inner membrane, and xenobiotic efflux complexes, which bridge the inner and the outer membranes. We obtained valuable findings concerning localization, membrane dynamics and cluster structure of chemoreceptors using improved protocols of fluorescence microscopic observations. Quick-freezing replica and ultra-thin section electron microscopic analyses were also carried out to characterize chemoreceptors and xenobiotic efflux complexes.

Free Research Field

生物物理学