CAREER: The Troponin Switch for Muscle Contraction

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Support is requested through the CAREER program to merge two goals through collaborative curricular activities that fully engage undergraduate inquiry-based examinations of cell physiology and in the design and execution of experiments on the regulatory mechanism in striated muscle. The proposed research addresses two fundamental questions: 1) through what interactions within the troponin complex and between the complex and actin-tropomyosin does the troponin switch operate and 2) to what extent and by what mechanisms does TnI modulate the calcium sensitivity of force development, but also calcium-dependent process in general. The proposed experimentation draws not only on molecular, biological, and general techniques but also on thermodynamic and kinetic reasoning, quantitative skills and mechanical analysis.