U.S.-Korea Cooperative Research on Structure and Function of Chemoreceptor Proteins

该提案要求获得资金，以允许华盛顿州立大学生物化学/生物物理系Gerald L.Hazelbauer博士与韩国高级科学技术研究所生物科学与工程系Chankyu Park博士进行为期24个月的关于化学感受器蛋白质结构和功能的合作研究计划。这项研究的总体目的是为了帮助理解跨膜受体蛋白的功能机制。活细胞的一个基本特征是对特定的外部化学信号做出反应的能力。这种名为大肠杆菌的细菌含有特定的受体，暴露在细胞表面，识别相关的化合物。这些细菌具有趋化性，是将受体与鞭毛连接起来的多组分感觉反应系统发挥作用的结果。要了解这些受体的作用机制，需要了解蛋白质上一个位置的配体结合或共价修饰如何影响与该位置分离的区域的活性，蛋白质上不同位置的改变如何协同或拮抗地相互作用，以及信息如何通过膜传递。目前的项目涉及到对细菌化学感受器蛋白的研究，称为转导蛋白。涉及分离一个或一个子集转导功能缺陷突变的遗传学方法将与涉及在体内以及体外以洗涤剂稳定的、纯化状态表征突变蛋白的生化方法相结合。该项目与美韩合作科学计划的目标相关，该计划旨在通过交流科学信息、想法、技能和技术以及通过在互利问题上的合作来提高美国和韩国科学家和工程师之间的合作水平。

This proposal requests funds to permit Dr. Gerald L. Hazelbauer, Department of Biochemistry/Biophysics, Washington State University, to pursue with Dr. Chankyu Park, Department of Biological Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, for a period of 24 months, a program of cooperative research on the structure and function of chemoreceptor proteins. The general aim of this research is to contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms involved in the functioning of transmembrane receptor proteins. A basic feature of living cells is the ability to respond to specific, external chemical signals. The bacterium, Escherichia coli, contains specific receptors, exposed on the cell surface, that recognize relevant compounds. These bacteria are chemotactic as the result of the functioning of a multicomponent, sensory response system that links receptors to flagella. Understanding the mechanisms by which any of these receptors functions requires an understanding of how ligand binding or covalent modification at one place on a protein can affect activity of a domain separated from that site, how alterations at different sites on a protein can interact cooperatively or antagonistically, and how information is passed across a membrane. The present project involves a study of bacterial chemoreceptor proteins, called transducers. Genetic approaches involving isolation of mutants defective in one or a subset of transducer functions will be combined with biochemical approaches involving the characterization of mutant proteins in vivo as well as in vitro in a detergent-stabilized, purified state. This project is relevant to the objectives of the U.S.-Korea Cooperative Science Program which seeks to increase the level of cooperation between U.S. and Korean scientists and engineers through the exchange of scientific information, ideas, skills, and techniques and through collaboration on problems of mutual benefit.