Study on nuclear size control

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26660089
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Applied biochemistry
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Kume Kazunori 広島大学, 先端物質科学研究科, 助教 (80452613)
• Research Collaborator: Nurse Paul The Francis Crick Institute
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞核サイズ / オルガネラ構造 / 細胞増殖 / 分裂酵母

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Nucleus is one of membrane-bound organelles and important for maintenance of genome DNA in eukaryotic cells. Nuclear size, required for nuclear function, is proportional to cell size, resulting in a constant ratio between nuclear and cellular volumes (N/C ratio). However, how this is achieved remains elusive. To understand molecular mechanisms of nuclear size control in eukaryotic cells, we studied N/C ratio mutants using fission yeast, a model organism of eukaryotic cell. We found that properly regulated nucleocytoplasmic transport and membrane growth are critical for appropriate nuclear size control in growing cells. This finding may contribute to understanding a cause of cancer, because cancer cells have enlarged nucleus.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学