MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF 11CIS RETNYL ESTER HYDROLASE

目前视觉通路的概念涉及11-顺式的形成 通过异构水解酶从全反式视黄基酯得到视黄醇。 两个都是11- 顺式视黄醛和11-顺式视黄基酯衍生自该11-顺式 视黄醇和视觉通路的这个分支点是已知的。 虽然 11-顺式视黄醛作为视觉发色团命运一直很好 研究，确切地说，如何11-顺式视黄基酯被用来提供视网膜 用于色素再生的发色团是未知的。 以前的研究 在我们的实验室进行了建立存在的11顺式 牛视网膜色素中视黄酯水解酶活性 上皮（RPE）微粒体。 我们目前的研究集中在 这种11-顺式视黄基的纯化和生化特性 酯水解酶 在这个教师发展项目中，我们建议扩大 我们目前的生物化学研究覆盖分子生物学。 的 申请人将连续五个夏天全职工作 约翰·李博士在生物化学系的实验室， 位于圣安东尼奥的得克萨斯大学健康科学中心克隆和 对编码这种蛋白质的基因进行测序。 的基因的表达 编码这种酶也将研究牛视网膜色素 上皮原代细胞培养。 这项研究是重要的，因为了解的细节， 缺少视觉通路的这个分支。 此外，该学院 发展计划还将扩大申请人目前的教学 研究重点从生物化学到分子生物学。 这是 支持他的部门的新重点领域的蜂窝和 分子神经生物学 申请人教学的这种扩展和 研究项目也将带来现代生物学概念和技术 少数民族和非少数民族学生在得克萨斯大学圣 安东尼奥

Current concept of the visual pathway involves the formation of 11-cis retinol from all-trans retinyl esters by an isomerohydrolase. Both 11- cis retinal and 11-cis retinyl esters are derived from this 11-cis retinol and this branch point of the visual pathway is known. Although the fate of 11-cis retinal to serve as visual chromophore has been well studied, exactly how 11-cis retinyl esters are used to supply retinal chromophores for pigment regeneration is not known. Previous studies conducted in our laboratory established the presence of an 11-cis retinyl ester hydrolase activity in the bovine retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) microsomes. Our current research focused on the purification and biochemical characterization of this 11-cis retinyl ester hydrolase enzyme. In this faculty development project, we propose to expand the focus of our current biochemistry research to cover molecular biology. The applicant will work full-time for five consecutive summers in the laboratory of Dr. John Lee at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio to clone and to sequence the gene encoding this protein. Expression of the gene encoding this enzyme will also be studied in bovine retinal pigment epithelial primary cell cultures. This research is important because an understanding of the details of this branch of the visual pathway is lacking. In addition, this faculty development program will also expand the applicant's current teaching and research focus from biochemistry to molecular biology. This is supportive of his department's new focus in the area of cellular and molecular neurobiology. This expansion of the applicant's teaching and research programs will also bring modern biology concepts and techniques to minority and non-minority students at The University of Texas at San Antonio.