2026/07/03 更新

写真a

ミク グリン ショウン エリン
MC GLYNN SHAWN ERIN
MCGLYNN SHAWN
所属
未来社会創成研究院 地球生命研究所 准教授
職名
准教授
プロフィール

I am interested in understanding how energy organizes matter in biological and (pre)- biological processes. I want to understand how electron flow, bond energy, and reaction mechanisms drive molecular organization and isotope fractionation: What are the protein complexes? What are the reaction mechanisms? Where do they occur in the cell? What are the physiological meanings of cellular neighborhoods, and how can we measure and describe cellular individuality?

I want to understand how life works today and to try and connect this knowledge to how life began. My research interests blend a background in metalloenzyme biochemistry with vanguard microbiology developments that are just now allowing the prospect of illuminating cellular individuality.

外部リンク

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学位

  • PhD Biochemistry ( - Montana State University )

研究分野

  • 自然科学一般 / 地球生命科学  / Biochemistry, Isotopes, Chemical Origins of Life

経歴

  • 東京工業大学 --> 東京科学大学   地球生命研究所   准教授

    2016年4月 - 現在

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    国名:日本国

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論文

  • An Archean atmosphere rich in sulfur biomolecules. 国際誌

    Nathan W Reed, Cade M Christensen, Jason D Surratt, Shawn Erin McGlynn, Boswell A Wing, Cajetan Neubauer, Margaret A Tolbert, Eleanor C Browne

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America   122 ( 49 )   e2516779122   2025年12月

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    記述言語:英語   掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)  

    The abiotic production of sulfur-containing biomolecules under mild and globally relevant conditions has been an elusive endeavor in prebiotic chemistry experiments. As a result, a disconnect has emerged between understanding the origins of life and the later stages of biological evolution; the former potentially occurred independent of sulfur while the latter is universally dependent on it. Here, we demonstrate that planetary organic haze chemistry produces a suite of sulfur biomolecules including cysteine, coenzyme M, taurine, and potentially methionine and homocysteine. These compounds may form high in the atmosphere and subsequently deposit to early surface environments in sufficient amounts to support a budding global biosphere. Our findings thus challenge long-standing assumptions that sulfur biomolecules such as cysteine must have been biological "inventions."

    DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2516779122

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  • Nickel Incorporation into Fresh Iron Sulfide Precipitates Modulates Selectivity in Nitrite, Carbon Dioxide, and Proton Reduction. 国際誌

    C Felipe Garibello, Shawn Erin McGlynn, Yamei Li, François Malherbe, Daniel Eldridge, Alexandr N Simonov, Rosalie K Hocking

    Inorganic chemistry   64 ( 46 )   22769 - 22780   2025年11月

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    記述言語:英語   掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)  

    Nickel and iron sulfide minerals are ubiquitous in natural environments and are central to Earth's biogeochemical cycles. Both metals are found in metalloenzyme active sites that catalyze key redox reactions and have been proposed as protocatalysts in prebiotic chemistry. Here, we investigate how coprecipitated Ni-Fe sulfides differ in their ability to catalyze and directly reduce CO2, NO2-, and protons and how these differences relate to their structural and compositional properties. Sulfides were synthesized by direct precipitation and characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Ni and Fe K-edges. At low Ni2+:Fe2+ ratios, nickel substitutionally incorporates into mackinawite (FeSm) to form [NinFem]Sx phases, while high Ni2+ concentrations suppress FeS formation and favor NiS2-like structures. Increasing Ni content enhances the CO2 and proton reduction as well as direct NO2- reduction, whereas Fe-rich samples favor NO2- reduction by Fe2+ while suppressing H2 evolution. These contrasting behaviors indicate distinct mechanisms for proton, CO2, and nitrite reduction. The observed reactivity trends mirror biological metal utilization, where nickel catalyzes CO2 fixation and hydrogen evolution, underscoring the potential role of mixed Ni-Fe sulfides as protoenzymatic catalysts in early metabolic networks.

    DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c03810

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  • Molecular insights into the dynamic relationship between respiration rate and sulfur isotope effect. 国際誌

    Dong Kyun Woo, Bokyung Kim, Yuichiro Ueno, Shawn Erin McGlynn, Min Sub Sim

    Applied and environmental microbiology   91 ( 11 )   e0106425   2025年11月

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    記述言語:英語   掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)  

    Microbial sulfate reduction and its resulting sulfur isotope effects are crucial for understanding the past and present sulfur cycle. Microbial S-isotope effects have often been explained by their inverse correlation with the cell-specific sulfur reduction rate (csSRR), but exceptions exist. A notable example is when N2-fixing sulfate reducers fractionate sulfur isotopes more than those cultivated under fixed nitrogen, despite having a faster csSRR. To further understand the biochemical basis of the csSRR and S-isotope fractionation relationship, we monitored gene expression, ATP/AMP ratio, and triple S-isotope fractionation of a sulfate-reducing bacterium, DMSS-1 (Desulfovibrio sp.), under ammonium-repleted or depleted conditions with various electron donors. N2 fixation with malate occurred with an elevated metabolic sulfur flux as indicated by enhanced sulfate reduction gene expression, but also with an increased reversibility of sulfate activation and reduction, evidenced by a reduced ATP/AMP ratio. The two simultaneous molecular alterations potentially explain the higher fractionation values observed under N2 fixation. Meanwhile, N2 fixation with fructose, a more refractory but energy-rich electron donor, did not alter gene expression or ATP/AMP ratio, but led to increased csSRR and decreased isotope fractionation. Integrating our findings into the 32S, 33S, and 34S sulfur isotope model suggests that N2 fixation reduces leakage of sulfate across the cell membrane during fructose catabolism. Gene expression analysis of carbon catabolism indicates that elevated intracellular NADH may underlie this contrasting response to N2 fixation. While the csSRR and S-isotope fractionation relationship is demonstrably dynamic in this study, it reinforces the robustness of the typical inverse correlation in most natural environments, where csSRR high enough to overturn this relationship are rarely observed.IMPORTANCESulfate-reducing microorganisms produce sulfide depleted in heavy sulfur isotopes during respiration, making the distribution of sulfur isotopes in natural environments an important clue for tracing their activity and physiology. An apparent inverse correlation between cell-specific respiration rate and sulfur isotope fractionation has been widely accepted as a primary control on naturally occurring sulfur isotope signatures. However, exceptions to this trend have been reported, warranting a better mechanistic understanding. Here, using the model sulfate-reducing bacterium DMSS-1, we manipulated carbon and nitrogen sources and monitored sulfur isotope fractionation, respiratory gene expression, and cellular energy status to provide a molecular and biochemical basis for the dynamic relationship between respiration rates and isotope effects. While this relationship is variable, our results suggest that reversing the inverse trend requires exceptionally fast respiration rates rarely achieved in natural environments. This highlights the robustness of the conventional inverse relationship in nature, despite intracellular complexity.

    DOI: 10.1128/aem.01064-25

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  • Carbon Reduction Powered by Natural Electrochemical Gradients under Submarine Hydrothermal Vent Conditions 査読

    T. Altair, E. Dragoti, V. Sojo, Y. Li, S. Skiffington, W.A. Sullivan, G.T. Drozd, S.E. McGlynn, D. Galante, H. Varela, R. Hudson

    Journal of the American Chemical Society   147 ( 32 )   28674 - 28683   2025年7月

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    掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)   出版者・発行元:American Chemical Society (ACS)  

    DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c01948

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  • PCR bias in 16S rRNA genes caused by GC content leads to insufficient detection of some abundant species in amplicon sequencing analyses of thermophilic microbial communities 査読

    Shigeru Kawai, Katsumi Matsuura, Shawn Erin McGlynn

    The Journal of General and Applied Microbiology   2025年5月

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    担当区分:最終著者   掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)   出版者・発行元:Microbiology Research Foundation  

    DOI: 10.2323/jgam.2025.04.003

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  • Chemical Characterization of Organosulfur Compounds in Aerosols from Archean-Analog Photochemistry: Insights from Liquid Chromatography and High-Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry

    Christensen, C.M., Surratt, J.D., Reed, N.W., Tolbert, M.A., Browne, E.C., Wing, B.A., McGlynn, S.E.

    ACS Earth and Space Chemistry   9 ( 3 )   2025年

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    掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)  

    DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.4c00314

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  • Metabolic Potential and Microbial Diversity of Late Archean to Early Proterozoic Ocean Analog Hot Springs of Japan.

    Fatima Li-Hau, Mayuko Nakagawa, Takeshi Kakegawa, L M Ward, Yuichiro Ueno, Shawn Erin McGlynn

    Microbes and environments   40 ( 3 )   2025年

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    担当区分:最終著者, 責任著者   記述言語:英語   掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)  

    Circumneutral iron-rich hot springs may represent analogues of Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic oceans of early Earth, potentially providing windows into ancient microbial ecology. Here we sampled five Japanese hot springs to gain insights into functional processes and taxonomic diversity in these analog environments. Amplicon and metagenomic sequencing confirm a hypothesis where taxonomy is distinct between sites and linked to the geochemical setting. Metabolic functions shared among the springs include carbon fixation via the reductive pentose phosphate cycle, nitrogen fixation, and dissimilatory iron oxidation/reduction. Among the sites, Kowakubi was unique in that it was dominated by Hydrogenophilaceae, a group known for performing hydrogen oxidation, motivating a hypothesis that H2 as an electron donor may shape community composition even in the presence of abundant ferrous iron. Evidence for nitrogen cycling across the springs included N2 fixation, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA), and denitrification. The low-salinity springs Furutobe and OHK lacked evidence for ammonium oxidation by ammonia monooxygenase, but evidence for complete nitrification existed at Kowakubi, Jinata, and Tsubakiyama. In most sites, the microaerophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria from the Zetaproteobacteria or Gammaproteobacteria classes had higher relative abundances than Cyanobacteria. Microaerophilic iron oxidizers may outcompete abiotic Fe oxidation, while being fueled by oxy-phototrophic Cyanobacteria. Our data provide a foundation for considering which factors may have controlled productivity and elemental cycling as Earth's oceans became oxygenated at the onset of the Great Oxidation Event.

    DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.ME24067

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  • Single-cell metabolic flux analysis reveals coexisting optimal sub-groups, cross-feeding, and mixotrophy in a cyanobacterial population

    Arián Ferrero-Fernández, Paula Prondzinsky, Lucia Gastoldi, David A. Fike, Harrison B. Smith, Daniele De Martino, Andrea De Martino, Shawn Erin McGlynn

    2025年

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    出版者・発行元:arXiv  

    We derive a single-cell level understanding of metabolism in an isogenic cyanobacterial population by integrating secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) derived multi-isotope uptake measurements of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 with a statistical inference protocol based on Liebig's law of the minimum, the maximum entropy principle, and constraint-based modeling. We find the population is structured in two metabolically distinct clusters: cells optimizing carbon yield while excessively turning over nitrogen, and cells which act reciprocally, optimizing nitrogen yield and excessively turning over carbon. This partition enables partial heterotrophy within the population via metabolic exchange, likely in the form of organic acids. Exchange increases the feasible metabolic space, and mixotrophic cells achieve the fastest growth rates. Metabolic flux analysis at the single-cell level reveals heterogeneity in carbon fixation rates, Rubisco specificity, and nitrogen assimilation. Our results provide a necessary foundation for understanding how population level phenotypes arise from the collective contributions of distinct individuals.

    DOI: 10.48550/ARXIV.2506.05916

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  • Hydrogen Generation From Ferrous Saponite in Reaction With H2S‐Containing Fluid: Relevance to Early Martian Habitability

    Natsumi Noda, Yasuhito Sekine, Yoshio Takahashi, Keisuke Fukushi, Hiroshi Sakuma, Takahiro Kawai, Mayuko Nakagawa, Norio Kitadai, Kristin Johnson‐Finn, Shawn Erin McGlynn

    Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets   130 ( 1 )   2024年12月

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    掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)   出版者・発行元:American Geophysical Union (AGU)  

    Abstract

    Molecular hydrogen is an important gas species for understanding the early Martian climate and redox chemistry. Through ancient aqueous alterations of crustal rocks, ferrous (Fe(II)) saponite formed abundantly on Mars. Subsequent intrusions of hydrothermal fluids may have resulted in a chemical reaction between the dissolved volatiles and the nearby rocks. Here we propose a new H2 generating reaction between ferrous saponite and H2S‐containing fluids, which is possible on early Mars. A series of hydrothermal experiments at a relatively low temperature of 90°C were performed under anoxic conditions using synthesized ferrous saponite to compare the resulting H2 concentration among various gas and fluid compositions. Based on the relationship with the existence of H2S, reaction time, fluid pH, dissolved iron concentration, and amount of minerals, we found that high levels of H2 (∼0.1 mmol/g ferrous saponite) were generated in the presence of H2S most rapidly in moderate pH conditions. Our microscopic chemical analysis of mineral phases suggested that ferrous saponite served as both the iron source of pyrite precipitation and the electron source to form H2. Our results suggest that intrusions of H2S‐containing fluids into the saponite‐containing crust of Mars would generate H2, which could potentially provide locally concentrated chemical energy for chemoautotrophic life.

    DOI: 10.1029/2024je008538

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  • Abiotic Production of Dimethyl Sulfide, Carbonyl Sulfide, and Other Organosulfur Gases via Photochemistry: Implications for Biosignatures and Metabolic Potential

    Nathan W. Reed, Randall L. Shearer, Shawn Erin McGlynn, Boswell A. Wing, Margaret A. Tolbert, Eleanor C. Browne

    Astrophysical Journal Letters   973 ( 2 )   2024年10月

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    掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)  

    DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad74da

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  • Osmotic energy conversion in serpentinite-hosted deep-sea hydrothermal vents

    Hye-Eun Lee, Tomoyo Okumura, Hideshi Ooka, Kiyohiro Adachi, Takaaki Hikima, Kunio Hirata, Yoshiaki Kawano, Hiroaki Matsuura, Masaki Yamamoto, Masahiro Yamamoto, Akira Yamaguchi, Ji-Eun Lee, Hiroya Takahashi, Ki Tae Nam, Yasuhiko Ohara, Daisuke Hashizume, Shawn Erin McGlynn, Ryuhei Nakamura

    Nature Communications   15 ( 1 )   2024年9月

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    掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)   出版者・発行元:Springer Science and Business Media LLC  

    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52332-3

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    その他リンク: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52332-3

  • Primitive purine biosynthesis connects ancient geochemistry to modern metabolism. 国際誌

    Joshua E Goldford, Harrison B Smith, Liam M Longo, Boswell A Wing, Shawn Erin McGlynn

    Nature ecology & evolution   8 ( 5 )   999 - 1009   2024年5月

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    担当区分:最終著者, 責任著者   記述言語:英語   掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)  

    An unresolved question in the origin and evolution of life is whether a continuous path from geochemical precursors to the majority of molecules in the biosphere can be reconstructed from modern-day biochemistry. Here we identified a feasible path by simulating the evolution of biosphere-scale metabolism, using only known biochemical reactions and models of primitive coenzymes. We find that purine synthesis constitutes a bottleneck for metabolic expansion, which can be alleviated by non-autocatalytic phosphoryl coupling agents. Early phases of the expansion are enriched with enzymes that are metal dependent and structurally symmetric, supporting models of early biochemical evolution. This expansion trajectory suggests distinct hypotheses regarding the tempo, mode and timing of metabolic pathway evolution, including a late appearance of methane metabolisms and oxygenic photosynthesis consistent with the geochemical record. The concordance between biological and geological analyses suggests that this trajectory provides a plausible evolutionary history for the vast majority of core biochemistry.

    DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02361-4

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  • Magnesium silicate chimneys at the Strytan hydrothermal field, Iceland, as analogues for prebiotic chemistry at alkaline submarine hydrothermal vents on the early Earth

    Guti{\'e}rrez-Ariza, C., Huertas, F.J., Sainz-D{\'i}az, C.I., Cartwright, J.H.E., Barge, L.M., Ding, Y., Cardoso, S.S.S., McGlynn, S.E., Nakamura, R., Giovanelli, D., Lee, H.E., Price, R.

    Progress in Earth and Planetary Science   11 ( 1 )   2024年2月

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    記述言語:英語   掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)  

    DOI: 10.1186/s40645-023-00603-w

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  • Rapid hydrolysis rates of thio- and phosphate esters constrain the origin of metabolism to cool, acidic to neutral environments 国際誌

    Sanden, S.A., Butch, C.J., Bartlett, S., Virgo, N., Sekine, Y., McGlynn, S.E.

    Iscience   27 ( 11 )   111088 - 111088   2024年

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    担当区分:最終著者, 責任著者   記述言語:英語   掲載種別:研究論文(学術雑誌)  

    DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111088

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講演・口頭発表等

  • Metabolic Variability Within Populations and Across Cell Types. 招待

    Shawn McGlynn

    Universal Biology Institute, University of Tokyo  2024年7月 

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    会議種別:口頭発表(招待・特別)  

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  • Network Expansion as a Pathfinding Algorithm in Multi-Step Chemical Transformations 招待

    Electrosynthesis: Light, life, and materials perspective. Seoul National University  2024年6月 

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    会議種別:口頭発表(招待・特別)  

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  • Microbial population structure from nanoSIMS data with statistical influence 招待

    Shawn McGlynn

    Thermal Biology Institute Seminar Series  2025年2月 

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  • Revisiting early metabolic evolution with network expansion 招待

    Shawn McGlynn

    QED Seminar, CU Boulder  2025年2月 

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  • Bioenergetic basis for altered ancient S and P requirements in emerging metabolism 招待

    Shawn McGlynn

    JSBBA  2025年4月 

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  • How was group transfer potential used in emerging metabolism? 招待

    Shawn McGlynn

    OIST Seminar Series  2025年5月 

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受賞

  • CIRES Visiting Fellowship Award

    2024年   Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder  

    Shawn McGlynn

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共同研究・競争的資金等の研究課題

  • Experimentally Explaining Biological Methane Isotopes

    研究課題/領域番号:25H00685  2025年4月 - 2029年3月

    日本学術振興会  科学研究費助成事業  基盤研究(A)

    McGlynn Shawn・E., 上野 雄一郎

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    配分額:45370000円 ( 直接経費:34900000円 、 間接経費:10470000円 )

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  • Decoding the evolution of anticipation and decision making in uncertain environments.

    2025年 - 2028年

    Human Frontiers Science Program  HFSP 

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  • pH Gradient Dependent Geo-Electrochemical Origin of Life on Aqua Planets in the Universe

    研究課題/領域番号:22K18278  2022年6月 - 2025年3月

    日本学術振興会  科学研究費助成事業  挑戦的研究(開拓)

    McGlynn Shawn・E., 中村 龍平

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    配分額:25740000円 ( 直接経費:19800000円 、 間接経費:5940000円 )

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  • 'Cradle to the grave' life histories of every bacterium link individual metabolic activity to population activity

    研究課題/領域番号:22K18368  2022年6月 - 2025年3月

    日本学術振興会  科学研究費助成事業  挑戦的研究(開拓)

    UTADA ANDREW, McGlynn Shawn・E.

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    配分額:25870000円 ( 直接経費:19900000円 、 間接経費:5970000円 )

    In the past year, we have started by finding an appropriate research scientist. We have begun to identify a set of bacteria to use that are genetically tractable and widely applicable. This list currently includes Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We have focused on developing the two major thrusts of our targeted work: single cell tracking in confined conditions and the nano secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) process. We have already begun to optimized our cell tracking using publicly available machine learning algorithms combined with custom designed microfluidic chambers.
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    Simultaneously, we have developed microfabrication methods to use with hard glass substrates. We plan to combine these results soon to use with the local nanoSIMS facility.

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  • Origin of ATP phosphate esters and sulfur thio-esters in early Life

    研究課題/領域番号:23K22614  2022年4月 - 2025年3月

    日本学術振興会  科学研究費助成事業  基盤研究(B)

    McGlynn Shawn・E., 掛川 武

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    配分額:17290000円 ( 直接経費:13300000円 、 間接経費:3990000円 )

    How life developed the capacity to generate reactive compounds needed in various metabolic reactions has remained a mystery. One class of compounds are the thioesters, which may have preceded complex phosphate containing molecules such as ATP during metabolic evolution. In this year we demonstrated the formation of new carbon-sulfur containing compounds using the enzyme GAPDH with bacterial enzyme homologs. Furthermore, we discovered new chemical routes to carbon-sulfur bond formation, which could represent the very basis for the start of the enzyme reactivity. The formation of these carbon-sulfur compounds is of particular importance, because many researchers have considered that C-S compounds such as cysteine are biological "inventions" which only occurred on Earth after the evolutionary development of life. Along with these so called building block compounds, our findings which show a relationship to compounds critical in energy metabolism advances our understanding of early utilization of sulfur compounds by growing metabolisms. In our next steps we will clarify the reaction using isotope analyses and we will also determine evolutionary relationships to the chemical reactions and their isotope effects.

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  • Origin of ATP phosphate esters and sulfur thio-esters in early Life

    研究課題/領域番号:22H01343  2022年4月 - 2025年3月

    日本学術振興会  科学研究費助成事業  基盤研究(B)

    McGlynn Shawn・E., 掛川 武

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    配分額:17290000円 ( 直接経費:13300000円 、 間接経費:3990000円 )

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