US-United Kingdom Cooperative Research: Assembly of the Neuronal Cytoskeleton

该奖项将支持科罗拉多州立大学的 James Bamburg 博士和伦敦医学研究委员会细胞生物物理学部门的 Dennis Bray 博士之间的合作研究。 在这个项目中，Bamburg 博士和 Bray 博士将使用荧光和电子显微镜研究肌动蛋白组装到神经元皮质中的位点。 肌动蛋白丝是神经元生长锥的主要细胞骨架元件，并包含微刺的核心结构，伪足从生长锥延伸并产生定向神经突生长所需的张力。 博士。班伯格和布雷计划鉴定肌动蛋白和其他蛋白质之间在转运至轴突皮层过程中的假定复合物。 所提出的实验应确定在运输过程中肌动蛋白亚基是否在轴突中的丝群之间交换，以及轴突的皮质肌动蛋白层是否来自生长锥或轴的沉积。 在项目过程中，Bamburg 博士将制备用于显微注射的蛋白质；布雷博士将制备针对荧光标记的抗体。 显微注射研究将在两个实验室进行。 拟议的研究非常适合这两个实验室之间的合作。 Bray 博士一直是神经元培养方法开发、神经元细胞蛋白抗体生产以及免疫细胞化学方法在神经元内其他蛋白质定位应用方面的领导者。 Bamburg 博士一直积极致力于参与细胞骨架结构和调节细胞骨架成分组装的蛋白质 ________ 的体外分离和表征。

This award will support collaborative research between Dr. James Bamburg, Colorado State University, and Dr. Dennis Bray, Cell Biophysics Unit, Medical Research Coucil, London. In this project Dr. Bamburg and Dr. Bray will investigate the sites of assembly of actin into the neuronal cortex using fluorescence and electron microscopy. Actin filaments are the major cytoskeletal element of the neuronal growth cone and comprise the core structure of microspikes, pseudopodia which extend from the growth cone and which generate the tension required for directed neurite growth. Drs. Bamburg and Bray plan to identify putative complexes between actin and other proteins in transit to the axonal cortex. The proposed experiments should determine if actin subunits exchange between the filament population in the axon during transport, and if the cortical actin layer of the axon arises from deposition at the growth cone or the shaft. During the course of the project, Dr. Bamburg will prepare proteins for microinjection; Dr. Bray will prepare antibodies against the fluorescent labels. The microinjections studies will be carried out in both laboratories. The proposed studies are well suited for collaboration between these two laboratories. Dr. Bray has been a leader in the development of neuronal culture methods, production of antibodies to neuronal cell proteins, and the application of immunocytochemical methods for other localization of proteins within neurons. Dr. Bamburg has been active in isolation and characterization in vitro of proteins ________ involved in cytoskeletal structures and in regulating assembly of cytoskeletal components.