MOLECULAR AND GENETIC ANALYSIS OF MUSCLE SPECIFIC GENES

肌肉细胞具有许多独特的功能特征， 使它们与高等生物中的其他细胞类型区分开来--最明显的是 那些与兴奋性有关的，电信号与 肌肉收缩和收缩过程本身。 长期 这项研究的目标是了解这些细胞过程 在肌肉细胞的分子机制水平上， 功能 拟议工作的近期目标是开始 分离和表征我们已经鉴定的基因， 在成年生物体的肌肉细胞中特异性表达，而在 其他细胞类型。 据推测，这些基因可能编码蛋白质 参与肌肉细胞的独特过程。 这项工作 将需要使用最近设计的分子方案， 果蝇果蝇，这使得人们可以很容易地识别空间和 已经被诱变或 靠近基因插入产生的突变位点， 将转座的p元件改造到基因组中。 一旦确定， 肌肉特异性基因将接受进一步的分子分析 包括基因物理位置的细胞遗传学作图 多线染色体的分离、克隆和鉴定 感兴趣的基因。 最终，这种方法可能有助于理解 肌细胞中蛋白质结构、功能和作用 功能 要求提供资金以支持一名本科生和一名研究生 学生. 本科生将学习基本的实验室技能 和与他/她的项目有关的具体技能， P.I.并将由博士后研究员或 高级研究生。 到第二年，本科生将 鼓励独立完成部分拟议研究。 研究生将由私人侦探监督。并将学会 成为独立的科学家。 所有学生将参加每周实验 会议和研讨会，并将预期传达的结果， 在区域和适当的国家会议上进行研究。

Muscle cells possess a number of unique functional characteristics which set them apart from other cell types in higher organisms - most notably those related to excitability, the coupling of an electrical signal into muscle contraction and the contractile process itself. The long term goals of the proposed research are to understand these cellular processes at the level of the molecular mechanisms which underlie muscle cell function. The immediate aims of the proposed work will be to begin to isolate and to characterize genes which we have putatively identified to be expressed specifically in muscle cells of adult organisms and not in other cell types. It is postulated that these genes may encode proteins that are involved in the unique processes of the muscle cell. This work will entail the use of a recently devised molecular scheme involving the fruitfly Drosophila, which allows one to identify easily the spatial and temporal expression pattern of genes which have been mutagenized or are close to the site of a mutation generated by the insertion of genetically engineered transposable p-elements into the genome. Once identified, the muscle-specific genes will be subjected to further molecular analyses which include cytogenetic mapping of the physical location of the genes on polytene chromosomes and the isolation, cloning and characterization of genes of interest. Ultimately this approach may aid in understanding the structure, function and role of proteins involved in muscle cell function. Funds are requested to support one undergraduate and one graduate student. The undergraduate student will learn basic laboratory skills and specific skills related to his/her project under the direction of the P.I. and will be supervised on a daily basis by a postdoctoral fellow or advanced graduate students. By the second year, the undergraduate will be encouraged to work independently on a portion of the proposed studies. The graduate student will be supervised by the P.I. and will learn to become an independent scientist. All students will attend weekly lab meetings and seminars and will be expected to communicate the results of their studies at regional and appropriate national meetings.