Study on the signal transduction modulated by membrane potential

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H05593
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Biophysics
• Research Institution: Kyushu Institute of Technology (2017); Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (2015-2016)
• Principal Investigator: Morimoto Yusuke 九州工業大学, 大学院情報工学研究院, 助教 (50631777)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: シグナル伝達 / 膜電位 / 走化性 / 蛍光イメージング / 光操作

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Plasma membrane potential is required for various cellular functions. The social amoebae Dictyostelium discoideum has been studied as a eukaryotic model organism to investigate chemotaxis, directed cell migration and differentiation. Chemotactic stimulation by cAMP is known to elicit cationic fluxes, involving proton and calcium ion, across the plasma membrane in Dictyostelium cells. This suggests that the membrane potential is also changed by cAMP stimulation. However it remains unknown how the membrane potential works in the eukaryotic signal transduction. In this study, we established the method to monitor the plasma membrane potential of Dictyostelium cells by fluorescence microscopy using a highly sensitive membrane potential dye. Then we found that the membrane potential of Dictyostelium cells was periodically changed depending on the cAMP signal relay in the aggregation stage. Results indicate that the membrane potential change regulate the cAMP signaling relay.

Free Research Field

生物物理学