Prediction and control of cellular response by measuring the conformation of RAF

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24770161
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biophysics
• Research Institution: The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: HIBINO Kayo 独立行政法人理化学研究所, 生命システム研究センター, 研究員 (40435673)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞内情報処理機構 / RAF / 細胞状態 / 細胞操作 / 細胞内1分子計測 / 1細胞計測 / FRET

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Uncontrollability of cell behaviors is a major obstacle to the therapeutic application of regenerative biology. To regulate cell behaviors, it is important to understand how cellular system works and to find the key factors to monitor and manipulate the cell-states.
Here, I focus on the signaling molecule RAS and RAF as a candidate factor to monitor and predict cell-states. RAS-RAF signaling involves proliferation, differentiation.
By using RAF-FRET probes, I found that the cellular response correlated with the ensemble RAF-conformation in individual cells before growth factor (GF)-stimulation and that the RAF-conformation depends on the phosphorylations. The results suggest that the phosphorylation state, therefore the ensemble RAF-conformation differs in individual cells and the difference induces varied responsibility to GF. The phosphorylation states of RAF could work as cellular memory which reflects the past extracellular environment and intracellular reactions.

Free Research Field

細胞生物物理学