CAREER: Origins of Organized Activation in the Chordate Heart

该奖项的研究部分促进了对胚胎发育和跳动心脏祖先的理解。 该补助金的教育目标是为对科学感兴趣的年轻人提供专业研究环境中项目工作的第一手经验。 特别强调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到好奇。 Gourdie博士早期的研究工作揭示了两种重要心脏组织--冠状血管和心脏传导系统--胚胎发育之间的未被认识的关系。 从本质上讲，已经确定在胚胎期，心脏传导线路的铺设取决于其冠状血管管道的发育。 在此基础上，他计划关注血管发育中分泌的旁分泌因子，以及这些因子如何影响注定成为传导系统一部分的细胞中的基因表达。 特别考虑将给予理解下游的影响，间隙连接和连接蛋白的表达--心肌细胞膜组件中央指定和电整合不同的功能区室的心脏肌肉。 正在调查的过程的进化前因也将在海洋原索动物玻璃海鞘的心脏进行研究。 独特的是，虽然这种动物的微小的管状心脏只有一层细胞厚，但它具有许多与高级脊索动物（例如人类）心脏共同的特征。通过资助这样的综合学术项目，NSF支持创新教学和研究发展所需的智力自主权。

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.