NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2013

电压依赖性钾通道1.1插入神经元树突表面膜的调节机制细胞膜上电压依赖性钾通道亚基1.1的数量紧密调节神经元的静息状态，并决定神经元如何对其环境做出相应的反应。在神经元的树突中，含有1.1亚基的电压依赖性钾通道影响突触的变化，这些变化被认为反映了不同类型的学习或记忆的形成。本研究旨在确定电压依赖性钾通道亚基1.1插入树突表面膜的分子机制。本研究将探讨电压依赖性钾通道亚基1.2如何促进亚基1.1的表面表达。此外，本研究将探讨抑制哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白（一种正向调节翻译的蛋白）导致电压依赖性钾通道亚基1.2蛋白合成的机制。这项研究的发现将扩大目前对分子水平上影响学习和记忆机制的理解。此外，这项研究的结果将提供一个关于蛋白质-雷帕霉素的哺乳动物靶点-如何调节其他蛋白质的生产的整体表征。从这个项目中产生的数据将用于获得一个教员职位，并在一所大学建立一个实验室，该实验室将进一步阐明调节学习和记忆的分子事件，并支持在科学领域代表性不足的人群的教育和研究培训。

Defining the mechanism that regulates the insertion of the voltage-dependent potassium channel 1.1 into the surface membrane of neuronal dendrites The number of voltage-dependent potassium channel subunit 1.1 on the cell membrane tightly regulates a neuron's resting state and determines how a neuron responds to its environment accordingly. In the dendrites of neurons, voltage-dependent potassium channels that contain the 1.1 subunit influence changes in synapses that are considered to reflect the different types of learning or formation of memories. This research aims to identify the molecular mechanism governing the insertion of the voltage-dependent potassium channel subunit 1.1 into the surface membrane of dendrites. The proposed study will examine how the voltage-dependent potassium channel subunit 1.2 promotes the surface expression of subunit 1.1. Furthermore, this research will investigate the mechanism by which the suppression of the mammalian target of rapamycin, a protein that positively regulates translation, leads to the protein synthesis of the voltage-dependent potassium channel subunit 1.2. The discoveries from this study will expand the current understanding on the mechanisms that influence learning and memory at the molecular level. Furthermore, findings from this investigation will provide a holistic characterization on how the protein-the mammalian target of rapamycin-regulates the production of other proteins. Data generated from this project will be used to gain a faculty position and establish a laboratory at a university that will further elucidate the molecular events that regulate learning and memory, and support the education and research training of underrepresented populations in science.