International Research Fellow Awards: Investigating the Structural Basis of Ligand-gated Ion Channel Opening and Desensitization

小行星9802304 国际研究员奖励计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行三到二十四个月的研究。 该计划的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，以及使用国外独特或互补的设施，专业知识和实验条件。 该奖项将支持博士21个月的博士后研究访问。B。Stowell将与英国剑桥MRC分子生物学实验室的奈杰尔昂温博士和京都大学的藤吉义义博士合作，研究配体门控离子通道开放和脱敏的结构基础。这得到了IRFAP和美国的共同支持。日本方案。 具体来说，他们将研究乙酰胆碱受体（AchR）的结构，这是一种膜蛋白/离子通道，在大脑中起着传递神经元信号的作用，使我们可以执行行走和说话等功能。 研究这种受体的结构，就像是在看一张蓝图，以回答关于这种蛋白质功能的重要生物学和生物物理学问题。 为此，Stowell博士将使用由Fujiyoshi博士开发的液氦冷却电子显微镜，这种显微镜被认为是世界上唯一一种足够复杂的显微镜。 他将使用Unwin博士设计的技术，螺旋晶体制备和图像分析。 ***

9802304 Stowell The International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twentyfour months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twenty-one-month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. Michael H. B. Stowell to work with Dr. Nigel Unwin at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England and with Dr. Yoshinori Fujiyoshi at Kyoto University on the investigation of the structural basis of ligand-gated ion channel opening and desensitization. This is supported jointly by the IRFAP and the U.S.-Japan Program. Specifically, they will be studying the structure of an acetylcholine receptor (AchR), which is a membrane protein/ ion channel, which functions as a transmitter in the brain which allows the transmission of neuronal signals so that we may perform such functions as walking and talking. Studying the structure of this receptor, is like looking at a blueprint for answering important biological and biophysical questions about the functioning of this protein. To do this, Dr. Stowell will use a liquid helium cooled electron microscope, developed by Dr. Fujiyoshi, a microscope thought to be the only one in the world sophisticated enough to do this research. He will use techniques devised by Dr. Unwin, helical crystal preparation and image analysis. ***