NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2017: Cellular mechanisms for preferential intracellular pH regulation

这是NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，在该计划下，扩大了生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。这位名叫Jeae Roa的研究员正在进行研究和接受培训，这将增加生物学中代表性较低的群体的参与。这位科学家由不列颠哥伦比亚大学的科林·布劳纳指导。这位研究员正在研究动物如何利用单个细胞产生的信号来维持心脏、骨骼肌和肝脏等重要器官的正常功能。这项研究的重点是鱼类在自然极端环境中使用的细胞机制，研究结果将提供关于动物如何感知和修复对器官功能产生负面影响的条件的关键信息。在外展活动中，这位研究员通过志愿担任市中心科学101项目的教育者以及在温哥华水族馆领导互动动手活动来支持当地多样化的社区。此外，该研究员还培训和指导研究生和本科生。在完成奖学金活动后，该研究员将在一家主要任务包括增加和维持多样性的美国机构寻求工作，在那里，该研究员可以作为年轻女性和来自代表性不足群体的学生的榜样和导师。这项研究的主要目的是首次研究负责感知和调节鱼类细胞内pH(Phi)的细胞机制，这种机制优先调节组织PHi而不是血液细胞外pH(Phe)。限制酸碱应激是脊椎动物生理系统的一项重要功能，因为它减少了有害的氢离子(H+)暴露，氢离子对新陈代谢等基本功能产生了负面影响。然而，对于PHI的感知机制、参与的离子通道以及整个动物的荷尔蒙是否对优先调控的组织产生影响等方面的信息还很缺乏。为了解决这些问题，这位研究员正在研究一种鱼的整个组织中的酸碱传感器，这种鱼是一种优先调节phi的物种(白鲟鱼)。此外，该研究员正在创建从白鲟鱼的心脏、肌肉和肝脏组织分离的细胞的原代培养，以研究酸碱感知和调节的机制，检验以下假设：(1)进化上保守的酸碱感受器可溶性腺苷环化酶(SAC)、Na+/H+交换器(NHE)和Na+/HCO3-共转运体(NBC)促进了PHi的优先调节；以及(2)PHi的优先调节受到整个动物过程的影响，从而在培养细胞中减少。

This is an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, under the program Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellow, Jinae Roa, is conducting research and receiving training that is increasing the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The fellow is being mentored by Colin Brauner at the University of British Columbia. The fellow is investigating how animals use signals produced by individual cells to maintain proper function of vital organs like the heart, skeletal muscle, and liver. The research focuses on cellular mechanisms used by fish from naturally extreme environments, and the results will provide critical information on how animals sense and repair conditions that negatively affect organ function. During outreach activities, the fellow is supporting the diverse local community by volunteering as an educator for an inner-city Science 101 program and by leading interactive hands-on activities at the Vancouver Aquarium. In addition, the fellow is training and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. Upon completion of fellowship activities, the fellow will seek employment at a US institution whose primary mission includes increasing and sustaining diversity, where the fellow can serve as a role model and mentor for young women and students from underrepresented groups. The primary aim of this study is to investigate for the first time the cellular mechanisms responsible for sensing and regulating intracellular pH (pHi) in fish that preferentially regulate tissue pHi instead of blood extracellular pH (pHe). Limiting acid-base stress is an important function of vertebrate physiological systems as it reduces harmful exposure to hydrogen ions (H+), which negatively affect essential functions such as metabolism. However, information is lacking on the mechanisms by which pHi is sensed, what ion channels are involved, and if there is any whole-animal hormonal influence on preferentially regulated tissues. To address these questions, the fellow is investigating acid-base sensors in whole tissues in a fish species that is a preferential pHi regulator (white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus). In addition, the fellow is creating primary cultures of cells isolated from heart, muscle, and liver tissues of white sturgeon to study mechanisms for acid-base sensing and regulation, testing the following hypotheses: (1) preferential pHi regulation is facilitated by the evolutionarily conserved acid-base sensor soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC), Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE), and Na+/HCO3- cotransporter (NBC); and (2) preferential pHi regulation is influenced by whole-animal processes and thereby reduced in cultured cells.