2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Quantitative characterization of intracellular water in response to external stimuli
| Project/Area Number |
18K14669
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 43040:Biophysics-related
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| Research Institution | Institute of Physical and Chemical Research |
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Principal Investigator |
Shiraga Keiichiro 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 生命医科学研究センター, 客員研究員 (80795021)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2018-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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| Keywords | 水 / 水和 / 細胞 / 全反射減衰テラヘルツ時間領域分光 / 複素誘電率 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
An original terahertz time-domain attenuated total reflection spectroscopy system that allows accurate measurement of the complex dielectric constant was developed to analyze water dynamics in the skin epidermis of a hairless mouse in vivo. It was found in this study that the fractional content of bulk water is significantly larger in living cells compared to that in dead ones, indicating a fine balance between bulk and hydration water in living things. When pure water and cosmetic lotion is applied as external influence, lotion that contains lesser amount of bulk water was revealed to have higher ability to provide bulk water to both living and dead cells.
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| Free Research Field |
生物物理
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
水分子は「未知なる生命のバッファー」として生物学研究ではその存在が過小評価されていたが，本研究では水の物理的性質が生命活動と関連していることが分子レベルで明らかになった．テラヘルツ分光技術に基づいて，さらに生命現象に関わる水分子の機能を解き明かすことができれば，水分子の秩序やバランスを指標として非標識・非侵襲で細胞の状態を評価する技術を創出し，その先には水分子の能動的制御による細胞操作をも実現できる可能性を秘めていると期待している．
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