Why do organisms oscillate? – Investigation of biological function of glycolytic oscillations in yeast cells -

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26330326
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Life / Health / Medical informatics
• Research Institution: Yokohama National University
• Principal Investigator: Amemiya Takashi 横浜国立大学, 大学院環境情報研究院, 教授 (60344149)
• Research Collaborator: YAMAMOTO TETSUYA 東京都立産業技術高等専門学校, ものづくり工学科, 教授 (00259839) ; SASAKI SATOSHI 東京工科大学, 応用生物学部, 教授 (70262110)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞 / 解糖系 / 振動反応 / 同期現象

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study has aimed to clarify biological function of oscillations and synchronization of organisms. We experimentally observed glycolytic oscillations in yeast cells at a single cell level, though yeasts were considered not to exhibit the oscillations above a critical cell density. Analyses of a mathematical model of glycolytic oscillations revealed that the efficiency of energy acquisition is about 7 to 8 % higher in the oscillatory glycolysis than in the stationary-state glycolysis. We also revealed that yeast cells encapsulated in alginate microparticles at a high cell-density exhibited complete synchronization in the glycolytic oscillations.Glycolytic oscillations in cervical cancer HeLa cells that have metabolic similarities with yeast cells were also observed at a single cell level for the first time.

Free Research Field

非線形科学