Identification of key molecules that mediate exosome secretion by high-throughput shRNA screening

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25860047
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biological pharmacy
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: YOSHIDA Takeshi 大阪大学, 免疫学フロンティア研究センター, 特任研究員 (60635100)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: エクソソーム / shRNAライブラリー / スクリーニング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cells constituting our body communicate with each other during various aspects of biological processes. The communications have been studied mainly through secretary molecules such as cytokines and hormones, but a novel mechanism of intercellular communication, mediated through exosomes, has recently received much attention as another communication mediator. Exosomes are small vesicles secreted from various kinds of cells particularly immune cells and cancer cells, but their secretory of mechanism is still not well-elucidated. In this study, we screened molecules which is involved in exosome secretion, and then identified a motor protein myosin as the molecule. We studied about exosome secretion in cells or mice which had a mutation in myosin, and revealed that immune cells controlled inflammation by communication with each other via exosomes in microbial infection.

Free Research Field

分子生物学