Biomolecular Materials: Structure, Phase behavior, and Interactions

非技术摘要该奖项由加州大学圣巴巴拉分校(UCSB)材料研究部的生物材料计划颁发，旨在全面了解源自神经元的生物蛋白质分子之间的力的性质，以及这些力如何反过来负责创建神经元中发现的各种不同的结构。每种不同的结构都负责明确定义的细胞功能，包括细胞用来交流的分子机制。该项目的意义在于，从实验结果中获得的知识将使人们能够开始澄清神经元内细胞骨架结构破坏的潜在分子原因的过程，这是一种导致细胞退化的情况。这些获得的知识将使更大的科学界能够设计防止细胞退化的策略。研究活动旨在教育和培训研究生和本科生以及博士后研究人员现代科学和工程方法，并让参与者获得在学术界、国家实验室和工业领域就业所需的技能。该项目的调查人员参与了UCSB与圣巴巴拉以外的社区学院和大学开展的广泛的外联计划。这些计划包括，NSF资助的材料研究科学和工程中心推广计划，科学和工程研究实习，先进材料未来领导者计划，加州少数人参与联盟，以及教师研究经验。技术摘要该提案的目标是对细胞骨架蛋白质混合物的结构、相互作用和相行为有一个基本的了解，细胞骨架蛋白质混合物的组成跨越了神经元不同隔室的范围。一系列利用现代X射线渗透压技术的实验集中于阐明选定的细胞骨架相关蛋白在调节丝间力中的单独作用，这些间力导致与轴突和树突中发现的高阶结构密切相关的丝状组装。另一系列单独的实验将探索多价反离子，特别是那些在细胞环境中发现的离子，如何重组体外组装的细胞骨架。该项目的一个重要意义在于，所获得的数据有望从根本上产生新的见解，将分子间相互作用与在神经元不同部分发现的异质组装结构联系起来。此外，这些研究将导致对生物聚合物在多价离子存在下的相行为的理解发生革命性的转变，多价离子是目前生物物理和生物材料领域的一个新领域。拟议的生物材料和生物物理学项目是多学科的，教育和培训研究生和本科生，以及博士后研究人员，使用现代方法解决物理、化学、工程和生物学之间的问题。获得的技能为学员在学术界、国家实验室和行业的职业生涯做好准备。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-Technical AbstractThis award by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research to the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature of forces between biological protein molecules derived from neurons and how these forces, in turn, are responsible for creating the variety of different architectures found in neurons. Each different structure is responsible for a well-defined cell function including molecular mechanisms that cells use to communicate. The significance of the project is that the knowledge gained from the experimental results will allow one to begin the process of clarifying the underlying molecular causes for the disruption of the cytoskeletal structures inside neurons, a condition that leads to cell degeneration. This gained knowledge will allow the larger scientific community to design strategies to prevent cell deterioration. The research activity is designed to educate and train graduate and undergraduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in modern scientific and engineering methods and for participants to acquire skills needed for careers in academe, national laboratories, and industry. Investigators of this project are involved in a broad range of UCSB Outreach Programs with community colleges, and colleges and universities outside of Santa Barbara. These include, the NSF funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center outreach program, the Research Internship in Science and Engineering, the Future Leaders in Advanced Materials Program, the California Alliance for Minority Participation, and the Research Experience for Teachers.Technical AbstractThe goal of the proposal is to develop a fundamental understanding of structures, interactions, and phase behavior in co-assembling mixtures of cytoskeletal proteins, with compositions of mixtures spanning the range found in distinct compartments of neurons. A set of experiments utilizing modern X-ray-Osmotic Pressure techniques are focused on clarifying the separate roles of selected cytoskeletal associated proteins in mediating interfilament forces that result in filamentous assemblies closely related to the higher-order structures found in axons and dendrites. A separate series of experiments will explore how multivalent counterions, in particular, those that are found in cellular environments, restructure the in-vitro assembled cytoskeleton. A significance of the project is that the acquired data are expected to result in fundamentally new insights relating intermolecular interactions to heterogeneously assembled structures found in different parts of neurons. Furthermore, the studies will lead to a transformative shift in understanding of biological polymer phase behavior in the presence of multivalent ions, a nascent field of high current interest in biological physics and biomaterials. The proposed biomaterials and biophysics program is multidisciplinary and educates and trains graduate and undergraduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in modern methods required to address problems at the interface between physics, chemistry, engineering and biology. The acquired skills prepare the trainees for careers in academe, national laboratories, and industry.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.