CAREER: Origins of Organized Activation in the Chordate Heart

该奖项的研究部分促进了对心脏跳动的胚胎发育和祖先的理解。这项资助的教育目标是为对科学感兴趣的年轻人提供在专业研究环境中进行项目工作的第一手体验。特别强调的是让当地高中和来自查尔斯顿低地国家的少数民族学生对科学发现的过程感兴趣。古尔迪博士早期的研究工作揭示了两个基本心脏组织-冠状血管和心脏传导系统--的胚胎发育之间的一种未被认识到的关系。从本质上讲，人们确定，在胚胎生命期间，心脏导线的铺设取决于其冠状血管管道的发育。在此基础上，他计划将重点放在血管发育所分泌的旁分泌因子，以及这些因子如何影响注定要成为传导系统一部分的细胞中的基因表达。将特别考虑了解下游对缝隙连接和连接蛋白表达的影响-心肌细胞膜成分是指定和电整合心肌不同功能区块的核心。被调查的过程的进化先行因素也将在海洋原索动物Ciona enterinalis的心脏中进行研究。独特的是，尽管这种动物微小的管状心脏只有一个细胞层厚，但它拥有许多与高级脊索动物(例如人类)的心脏相同的特征。通过资助像这样的综合学术项目，NSF巩固了发展创新教学和研究所必需的智力自主。

The research component of this award advances understanding of the embryonic development and ancestry of the beating heart. The education goal of this grant is to provide young people interested in science first-hand experience of project work in a professional research environment. Special emphasis has been placed on getting local High School and minority students from the Charleston low country curious about the process of scientific discovery. Dr. Gourdie's earlier research work uncovered an unrecognized relationship between the embryonic development of two essential heart tissues---coronary blood vessels and the cardiac conduction system. In essence, it was determined that during embryonic life, laying down of the conductive wiring of the heart is dependent on the development of its coronary vascular plumbing. To build on this, he plans to focus on paracrine factors secreted by developing blood vessels, and how these might influence gene expression in cells destined to become part of the conduction system. Particular consideration will be given to understanding downstream effects on gap junctions and connexin expression---myocardial cell membrane components central to specifying and electrically integrating different functional compartments of heart muscle. Evolutionary antecedents of the processes under investigation will also be studied in the heart of the marine protochordate Ciona intestinalis. Uniquely, although the tiny, tube-like heart of this animal is only one cell layer thick, it possesses many characteristics in common with hearts from advanced chordates (e.g. Humans). By funding integrated academic programs such as this, the NSF underpins the intellectual autonomy necessary for development of innovative teaching and research.