IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
Grant: $600,000 - National Science Foundation - Jul. 19, 2009
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Award Description: Intellectual Merit. This career proposal outlines a plan for implementing a research and education program focused on developing novel fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) methods and high spatial resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) imaging coupled with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy for in vivo measurements of: (i) the dynamic clustering of receptors in the membrane; (ii) the role of other biomolecules in receptor clustering, and (iii) receptor microdomain localization. The FRET methods will not require the receptor to be modified with a fluorophore, ensuring the clustering properties of the receptor are not altered. The developed STED methods will enable heterogeneous domains as small as 7 nm to be measured in live cells. Information obtained on receptor clustering will be correlated with intracellular signaling and ligand binding events to answer fundamental questions about how these properties are related to basic cellular functions that allow cells to interact with their environment. The initiation of intracellular signaling pathways will be measured with immunocytochemistry and ligand-receptor interactions will be measured with total internal reflection single molecule fluorescence. The proposed work will focus on two different classes of cell membrane receptors: integrins and receptors for advanced glycation end products. These receptors have critical roles in signal transduction across the cell membrane. The developed methodology will provide new tools to study the organization of the membrane in live cells, and will provide fundamental insight into the dynamic behavior of the cell membrane. Broader Impacts. The research program will serve as a training resource for high school, undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students in a multidisciplinary field, focusing on developing novel analytical methods using traditional molecular biology techniques. The developed methods will be used by biological and physical scientists to unravel the complex behavior of receptors within the cell membrane, which will provide information about cell survival, development, repair and proliferation. The proposed activities include: the participation of high school students in summer research projects, focusing on local schools with low enrollment; the development and implementation of an inexpensive high school science outreach program that will provide a research curriculum suitable for use in a variety of science courses; and the development of a graduate course that will teach biological and physical science students advanced imaging methods for biological research. The focus of these activities will be to promote science advocacy to all participants, to encourage more students to consider science as a career option, and to promote the need for science research and its infrastructure in a productive society. The dissemination of the developed educational materials will be through the PI’s web site, and will be freely available for others to utilize in their outreach and education efforts. Additional outreach activities are through the PI’s volunteer work in the state high school science fair and regional science competitions.
Project Description: Intellectual Merit. This career proposal outlines a plan for implementing a research and education program focused on developing novel fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) methods and high spatial resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) imaging coupled with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy for in vivo measurements of: (i) the dynamic clustering of receptors in the membrane; (ii) the role of other biomolecules in receptor clustering, and (iii) receptor microdomain localization. The FRET methods will not require the receptor to be modified with a fluorophore, ensuring the clustering properties of the receptor are not altered. The developed STED methods will enable heterogeneous domains as small as 7 nm to be measured in live cells. Information obtained on receptor clustering will be correlated with intracellular signaling and ligand binding events to answer fundamental questions about how these properties are related to basic cellular functions that allow cells to interact with their environment. The initiation of intracellular signaling pathways will be measured with immunocytochemistry and ligand-receptor interactions will be measured with total internal reflection single molecule fluorescence. The proposed work will focus on two different classes of cell membrane receptors: integrins and receptors for advanced glycation end products. These receptors have critical roles in signal transduction across the cell membrane. The developed methodology will provide new tools to study the organization of the membrane in live cells, and will provide fundamental insight into the dynamic behavior of the cell membrane. Broader Impacts. The research program will serve as a training resource for high school, undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students in a multidisciplinary field, focusing on developing novel analytical methods using traditional molecular biology techniques. The developed methods will be used by biological and physic
Jobs Summary: No job information available at this time. (Total jobs reported: 0)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
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