CAREER:New chemical tools to study c-di-GMP signaling in bacteria

职业：研究细菌中 c-di-GMP 信号传导的新化学工具

• 批准号: 0746446
• 负责人: Herman Sintim
• 金额: $ 75万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0746446&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; New; chemical; tools; study

With this CAREER Award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry program and the Cellular Systems Cluster program are supporting the research of Professor Herman O. Sintim of the University of Maryland, College Park. Professor Sintim will develop new chemical tools to study 3'-5'-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP) signaling in bacteria. C-di-GMP, a common chemical messenger present uniquely in bacteria, plays a central role in bacterial biofilm formation and regulation of virulence-related factors in diverse bacteria. Several questions remain unanswered in c-di-GMP signaling in bacteria. For example, the environmental cues that modulate c-di-GMP signaling in bacteria and the identities of the adaptor proteins that respond to fluctuations in intracellular concentration of c-di-GMP remain largely uncharacterized. The first objective is to develop a fluorescent sensor for c-di-GMP. Such a sensor will be useful for establishing a link between different environmental cues and the intracellular concentrations of c-di-GMP. Secondly, a new solid-phase methodology will be used to prepare photo-affinity c-di-GMP analogs for the identification of c-di-GMP adaptor proteins. The identification of c-di-GMP binding proteins should help unravel the complex signaling network that c-di-GMP apparently regulates.Professor Sintim will also establish four Percy Julian undergraduate research fellowships at the University of Maryland. This research fellowship will be open to underrepresented minorities in the sciences. Percy Julian fellows will be supported to conduct research in the laboratory of an established investigator at the University of Maryland. This fellowship provides the opportunity to nurture minority students at an early stage of their careers and encourage such students to consider a career in the sciences.

有了这个职业奖，有机和大分子化学项目和细胞系统集群项目支持马里兰大学帕克分校Herman O. Sintim教授的研究。Sintim教授将开发新的化学工具来研究细菌中的3'-5'-环二胍酸（c-di-GMP）信号。C-di-GMP是细菌中特有的一种常见的化学信使，在细菌生物膜的形成和毒力相关因子的调控中起核心作用。细菌中c-二gmp信号传导的几个问题仍未得到解答。例如，调节细菌中c-di-GMP信号的环境线索以及响应细胞内c-di-GMP浓度波动的衔接蛋白的特性在很大程度上仍未得到表征。第一个目标是开发c-di-GMP荧光传感器。这种传感器将有助于建立不同环境线索与细胞内c-二gmp浓度之间的联系。其次，将采用一种新的固相方法制备光亲和的c-di-GMP类似物，用于鉴定c-di-GMP接头蛋白。c-di-GMP结合蛋白的鉴定将有助于揭示c-di-GMP明显调控的复杂信号网络。Sintim教授还将在马里兰大学设立四个Percy Julian本科生研究奖学金。这项研究奖学金将向在科学领域未被充分代表的少数群体开放。珀西·朱利安研究员将得到资助，在马里兰大学一位知名研究员的实验室进行研究。该奖学金为在职业生涯早期培养少数民族学生提供了机会，并鼓励这些学生考虑从事科学事业。