Live imaging of mast cell degranulation and its application to spatiotemporal analyses of the degranulation-related genes

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25460274
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: General anatomy (including histology/embryology)
• Research Institution: Iwate Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Higashio Hironori 岩手医科大学, 教養教育センター, 講師 (50342837)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SATOH Yoh-ichi 岩手医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (40118253)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NAKANO Masato 岩手医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (50237351)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: マスト細胞 / 調節性分泌 / 脱顆粒 / 細胞内小胞輸送 / ライブイメージング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Allergic responses such as hay fever and asthma are triggered by the release of inflammatory mediators such as histamine stored in secretory granule of mast cells. This antigen-induced exocytosis of secretory granules is called degranulation, which involves granule-granule and granule-plasma membrane fusions referred to as compound exocytosis. To know dynamics of mast cell degranulation, here we constructed a live-cell imaging system using two fluorescent dyes visualising secretory granules or tracks of exocytosis. This system can replace conventional biochemical assays determining the quantity of released mediators with painless work and high time resolution. Moreover, the precise roles of degranulation-related genes can be analysed spatiotemporally when gene manipulations are combined with this system.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学