Cooperative Adjunct Division

Suntory Foundation for Life Sciences, Bioorganic Research Institute

Themes of Research

1. Mechanisms of Membrane Protein Integration Supported by a Glycolipid
2. Function of Glycolipids in Biomembranes
3. Chemical Syntheses of Bioactive Probes

Many biological events involve not only proteins but also non-proteinaceous molecules such as small bioactive compounds, carbohydrates, and lipids. In order to elucidate the mode of action, it is necessary to identify the involved molecules by means of advanced instrumental analysis such as NMR and MS, and to develop molecular probes chemically synthesized.

Biomembranes include small amounts of glycolipids as well as phospholipids, however, the roles of such minor components and their biological significance remain unsolved. The difficulty in molecular biological approach is one of the reasons for the delay of elucidation of biomembrane functions. By using techniques of organic chemistry, we identified the structure of a novel glycolipid, MPIase, essential for the membrane protein integration. We study on the activity mechanisms of MPIase by chemically synthesizing molecular probes and by physicochemical analyses of the interaction between membranes and the glycolipid.