U.S.-Japan Cooperative Research: Fundamental Study of Receptor Ion-Channel Sensors

该奖项将使堪萨斯大学的Theodore Kuwana教授及其同事能够与北海道大学的Yoshio mezawa教授进行为期两年的合作。他们将尝试开发用于检测生物物质（包括神经毒素）的超灵敏和选择性传感器。这些传感器将基于蛋白质受体的使用，作为膜离子通道的门。特别是，本研究将重点关注谷氨酸结合蛋白，它是中枢神经系统中最广泛的兴奋性化学递质系统的一个组成部分，是一个合适的蛋白质受体的候选。本研究的目的是增强对谷氨酸结合蛋白的认识，项目包括GBP受体离子通道的分离纯化、各种合成膜中这些通道的重建、结构和功能表征以及其遗传特性的测定。这项工作汇集了两国在蛋白质合成和分析方面的公认专家，并可能对选择性化学探针的发展产生重要影响。

This award will enable Prof. Theodore Kuwana and colleagues at the University of Kansas to collaborate with Prof. Yoshio Umezawa of Hokkaido University over a period of two years. They will attempt to develop ultrasensitive and selective sensors for the detection of biological substances, including neurotoxins. These sensors will be based on the use of a protein-based receptor, which acts as a gate for a membrane ionchannel. In particular, this research will focus on the glutamate binding protein, which is a constituent in the most widespread excitatory chemical transmitter system in the central nervous system, and is a candidate for a suitable protein-based receptor. The purpose of this research is to enhance the understanding of the glutamate binding protein, and the program includes the isolation and purification of GBP receptor ion channels, reconstruction of these channels in various synthetic membranes, structural and functional characterization, and determination of their genetic properties. The work brings together acknowledged experts on protein synthesis and analysis from the two countries, and could have important implications in the development of selective chemical probes.