Regulation of Osmolyte Channel in Fish Erythrocytes:Membrane Trafficking and Cell Signaling

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Regulation of cell volume is an important physiological process. In order to resist cell volume changes resulting from a dilution of the extracellular fluid, cells increase salt and amino acid loss across the surface of the cell membrane. In the skate red blood cell the protein, skAE1, is responsible for the increase in amino acid loss. It is inserted into the membrane upon cell swelling and then removed from the membrane when normal volume has been restored. Functional and molecular approaches will be employed in order to understand the processes by which this protein is moved into the plasma membrane and subsequently retrieved. In addition, the biochemical signaling mechanisms that regulate skAE1''s movement will be determined. Studies will also reveal if skAE1 is degraded once it is retrieved or if can be recycled back into the membrane when the cells are swollen repeatedly. All cells can experience volume changes and these studies will provide fundamental information regarding the molecular and regulatory mechanisms involved in the recovery of normal cell volume. Graduate and undergraduate students will be an integral part of the research team. Undergraduate researchers will be recruited from Brown University and the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, which draws students from across the country. In addition, this research project will provide research experience for high school students from rural Maine and the Providence area.