U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science: In Vitro Reconstruction of Homologous DNA Recombination

小行星9513155 该奖项支持日本大坂大学的Hideo品川博士和美国加州大学戴维斯分校的Stephen Kowalczykowski博士之间为期三年的合作研究项目。该项目的主要目标是利用纯化的蛋白质和DNA成分，以生物化学方式重建基因重组过程。 基因重组是一个复杂的生物学过程，其机制尚不清楚。然而，正是这个过程导致了基因的分类，从而产生了遗传多样性。此外，如果利用得当，重组可以用来修复导致某些人类疾病的缺陷基因，或者对农业上重要的植物或动物进行基因工程。基因重组是基因打靶的主要方法之一。 该提案汇集了两个主要实验室的努力，这两个实验室构成了该过程的不同部分：Kowalczykowski实验室，它复制了体外重组的初始步骤，以及品川实验室，它重建了后面的步骤。预计这两个实验室的合作将首次实现基因重组的体外重建。此外，通过交流思想和技术，该项目将扩大我们的基本知识基础，促进国际理解与合作。 ***

9513155 Kowalczykowski This award supports a three year collaborative research project between Dr. Hideo Shinagawa of Osaka University, Japan and Dr. Stephen Kowalczykowski, University of California, Davis, USA. The major goal of this project is to biochemically reconstitute the process of genetic recombination, using purified protein and DNA components. Genetic recombination is complex biological process whose mechanism is not understood. Yet, it is this process that results in the assortment of genes which gives rise to genetic diversity. Further, if harnessed properly, recombination can be exploited either to repair defective genes that underlie certain human diseases or to genetically engineer agriculturally important plants or animals. Genetic recombination underlies one of the major approaches to gene targeting. The proposal brings together the efforts of two major laboratories that have constituted different parts of the process: the Kowalczykowski laboratory, which has reproduced the initial steps of the recombination in vitro, and the Shinagawa laboratory which has reconstructed the latter steps. It is anticipated that collaboration of these two laboratories will achieve the first in vitro reconstitution of genetic recombination. Furthermore, through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of basic knowledge and promote international understanding and cooperation. ***