Arkansas Center for Membrane Biology

9704712詹宁斯拟议项目的目标是在阿肯色大学医学科学分校建立阿肯色州膜生物学中心。选择膜生物学进行开发的理由是，膜受体、转运体和通道研究方面的专业知识将补充和增强UAMS现有的几个基础研究优势，包括神经科学、糖生物学、内分泌学、病毒学和毒理学。校长和UAMS医学院院长在1995年聘请了这项提案的私人助理迈克尔·L·詹宁斯担任生理和生物物理系主任，对这一领域的建设做出了重大承诺。为詹宁斯博士提供了新的实验室空间和雇佣六名教师(三个新职位和三个替补)的工资线。最近聘用的另外两名生理学和生物物理学兼职教员也将对膜生物学研究人员的临界数量做出重要贡献。NSF EPSCoR资金被要求加强新教员的设备启动包，并支持膜生物学竞争性研究所需的核心设施。中心的发展将围绕两个主题展开。第一个是激素和神经递质的膜受体功能的调节。该小组目前有四名成员，其中一名是老牌调查员劳伦斯·E·科米特。其他人是小乔治·T·布莱文斯、理查德·C·库尔滕和达娜·加迪·库尔滕，他们都研究多肽激素受体的不同方面。布莱文斯博士担任助理教授已有三年，库登博士和盖迪-库尔滕博士于1996年8月受聘为助理教授。将在这一领域增聘两名教师。另一组研究人员将使用生物物理方法研究膜运输和电生理学。这一群体的核心由M.L.詹宁斯、杰拉尔德·迪内尔和Z.吉米·周组成。Dienel博士于1996年4月受聘为副教授，周博士于1996年8月受聘为助理教授。将在运输、生物物理学和电生理学领域增聘两名教员。这两个重点领域(感受器和生物物理学)不会彼此孤立；这两个群体之间将会有持续的互动，被聘用的教职员工很可能会有重叠的兴趣。EPSCoR需要资金用于购买设备和支持核心设施，以提高目标教员的竞争力：布莱文斯、库登、加迪-库尔滕、迪内尔、周和四名将被聘用的教员。核心设施是分子生物学实验室、转基因小鼠设施和用于访问DNA序列数据库的计算机设施。还要求为一个广泛的校外研讨会项目提供资金，这将使教职员工能够与膜生物学领域的领先专家密切互动。其他资金将用于支付邻近本科院校客座教师的暑期工资，以及研究生和博士后研究员的津贴。要求提供三件主要设备。第一个是用于激光操作细胞的工作站(激光剪刀和镊子)，由Kurten博士和Gaddy-Kurten博士使用，使他们能够从种群中选择稀有细胞并进行各种其他细胞操作。第二个项目是钙的光学成像设备，周博士和Blevins博士将使用该设备来量化钙从细胞内存储释放或跨质膜进入的时间过程和空间模式。第三个项目是大脑成像系统，Dienel博士和几位合作者将使用该系统来分析完整的中枢神经系统的运输和新陈代谢。需要额外的设备资金，以加强将雇用的四名额外教员的启动方案。为中心教师的专业发展制定了一项计划，包括为初级教师提供受保护的时间，出版目标，以及协助准备拨款提案。将通过参加全国会议和其他校外学习经验，接待研讨会演讲者的访问，在其他机构举办研讨会，以及作为同行评审员参与手稿和补助金，从而提高教师的全国声誉。未来几年的目标是让个别教员成为拥有外部资金的知名调查员，并通过中心成员之间的共同兴趣和互补专业知识获得重大的多名调查员补助金。

9704712 Jennings The objective of the proposed project is to develop the Arkansas Center for Membrane Biology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). The rationale for choosing membrane biology for development is that expertise in the study of membrane receptors, transporters, and channels will complement and augment several existing basic research strengths at UAMS, including neuroscience, glycobiology, endocrinology, virology, and toxicology. The Chancellor and the Dean of the College of Medicine at UAMS have made a major commitment to building in this area with the hiring in 1995 of the P.I. of this proposal, Michael L. Jennings, as Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. Newly renovated laboratory space and salary lines to hire six faculty (three new positions and three replacements) have been provided to Dr. Jennings. Two additional faculty recently hired with adjunct appointments in Physiology and Biophysics will also contribute importantly to the critical mass of investigators in membrane biology. NSF EPSCoR funds are requested to enhance the equipment startup packages for new faculty and to support core facilities that are needed for competitive research in membrane biology. Development of the Center will focus on two themes. The first is the regulation of function of membrane receptors for hormones and neurotransmitters. There are currently four members of this group, with one established investigator, Lawrence E. Comett. The others are George T. Blevins, Jr., Richard C. Kurten, and Dana Gaddy-Kurten, all of whom study different aspects of peptide hormone receptors. Dr. Blevins has been Assistant Professor for three years; Drs. Kuden and Gaddy-Kurten were hired as Assistant Professors in August, 1996. Two additional faculty will be hired in this area. The other group of investigators will use biophysical approaches to study membrane transport and electrophysiology. The nucleus of this group consists of M.L. Jennings, Gerald Dienel, and Z. Jimmy Zhou. Dr. Dienel was hired as Associate Professor in April, 1996, and Dr. Zhou was hired as Assistant Professor in August, 1996. Two additional faculty will be hired in the area of transport biophysics and electrophysiology. The two areas of focus (receptors and biophysics) will not be isolated from each other; there will be constant interaction between the groups, and the faculty to be hired will very likely have interests that overlap both groups. EPSCoR funds are requested for the purchase of equipment and the support of core facilities that will enhance the competitiveness of the target faculty: Blevins, Kuden, Gaddy-Kurten, Dienel, Zhou, and four faculty to be hired. The core facilities are a molecular biology laboratory, a transgenic mouse facility, and computer facility for access to DNA sequence data bases. Funds are also requested for an extensive extramural seminar program, which will allow faculty to interact closely with leading experts in membrane biology. Other funds will be used for summer salary for visiting faculty from neighboring undergraduate institutions and for stipends for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Three major equipment items are requested. The first is a work station for the laser manipulation of cells (laser scissors and tweezers), to be used by Drs. Kurten and Gaddy-Kurten to enable them to select rare cells from a population and to do a variety of other cellular manipulations. The second item is equipment for optical imaging of calcium, to be used by Drs. Zhou and Blevins to quantify the time course and spatial pattern of calcium release from intracellular stores or entry across the plasma membrane. The third item is a brain imaging system to be used by Dr. Dienel and several collaborators for analysis of transport and metabolism in intact central nervous system. Additional equipment funds are requested to enhance the startup packages for the four additional faculty to be hired. A plan is in place for the professional development of the faculty in the Center, including the provision of protected time for junior faculty, publication goals, and assistance in preparing grant proposals. The national reputations of faculty will be developed by participation in national meetings and other off campus learning experiences; hosting visits by seminar speakers; presentation of seminars at other institutions; and participation as peer reviewers of manuscripts and grants. The goals over the next few years are for individual faculty to become established investigators with extramural funding, and for major multi-investigator grants to result from common interests and complementary expertise among members of the Center.