2026-01-05 理化学研究所,科学技術振興機構
蛹(さなぎ)の嗅覚毛細胞を覆う雲状の細胞外基質(クラウドECM、黄色矢じり)
<関連情報>
- https://www.riken.jp/press/2026/20260105_1/index.html
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adw5022
昆虫細胞外マトリックスナノ構造の機械的制御 Mechanical control of the insect extracellular matrix nanostructure
Yuki Itakura, Housei Wada, Sachi Inagaki, and Shigeo Hayashi
Science Advances Published:2 Jan 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adw5022
Abstract
Nanoscale modifications of apical extracellular matrix (ECM) have created various functional surfaces with distinct physical properties, exemplified by structural coloration and superhydrophobicity in animals and plants. To reveal the mechanisms, we investigated cuticle morphogenesis in Drosophila olfactory organs, where hundreds of ~50-nanometer nanopores in the cuticle covering the olfactory neurons permit selective odorant entry. We showed that zona pellucida domain (ZPD) proteins form the cell type–specific ECM compartments before cuticle secretion, and its disruption leads to less and irregularly sized nanopores. The ZPD protein Dusky-like controls the formation of the outermost layer of the cuticle, the envelope. Trynity, Nyobe, Neo, and Morpheyus form matrices with specific mixing and sorting properties, termed “cloud ECM,” which restrict cell growth and movement. This work identifies a previously unidentified role for ZPD proteins as modular units that establish the mechanical environment essential for nanoscale ECM morphogenesis, opening a previously unexplored context for these biomimetically important structures.
