Technical basis for artificial modification and transplantation of organelles

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: "Matryoshka"-type evolution of eukaryotes
• Project/Area Number: 23117009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Suzaki Toshinobu 神戸大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (00187692)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TACHIBANA Hiroshi 東海大学, 医学部, 教授 (10147168)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YOSHIMURA Chisato 神戸大学, 環境保全推進センター, 助教 (60362761)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞内共生 / 原生生物 / ミトコンドリア / マイクロインジェクション / オルガネラ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A green ciliate Paramecium bursaria harbors several hundred Chlorella cells in its cytoplasm. An electron microscopic approach with 3-D reconstruction showed that mitochondria in the host's cytoplasm provide a structural scaffold for symbiotic Chlorella to be anchored in the host's cytoplasm. Proteome and de novo transcriptome sequencing analyses were carried out to identify proteins in the peri-algal membrane fraction. As a distinctive aspect of the unicellular Matryoshka-type protists, P. bursaria was also found to accumulate soil-bound radioactive cesium.
Anaerobic protozoan Entamoeba species have mitosomes that are mitochondrion-derived organelles lacking DNA. Mitosomes isolated from E. histolytica were transplanted successfully into E. histolytica, E. nuttalli and E. invadens. Co-localization of mitosomal proteins from donor and recipient was observed in single mitosomes of some transplanted cells.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学、原生生物学