Structure and Specificity of Restriction-Modification (R-M) Systems

项目摘要/摘要 这份申请书是为培养和支持一位有才华的博士生而申请的多样性补充材料。 Richard Quintana-Feliciano，补充我们的母公司赠款(NIGMS R35-GM131780)，标题为“结构和 限制-修饰(R-M)系统的特异性“。作为一名西班牙裔第一代学生， 理查德的社会经济地位很低，他一直努力在学业准备的每一步都出类拔萃， 并表现出从根本上为父母赠款的目标做出贡献的能力和动力。这个 家长资助的主题是研究组成细菌天然免疫系统的R-M系统 和古生菌。在R-M领域的一个新范式是孤儿和R-M甲基转移酶的共同选择 细菌对经常与毒力因子相关的基因进行表观基因组调控。理查德 建议研究小球藻的DNA甲基转移酶(BCAM09902和BCAL3494) 细菌的生物膜的形成或运动，作为母体的延伸。研究培训是 旨在将他带到一个阶段，在这个阶段，他可以将问题从萌芽阶段带入原子晶体结构， 了解基本的热力学和动力学。培训计划有额外的 重要内容，包括具体课程和定向阅读、参加研讨会和会议、 以及一个顾问委员会来监督和指导他的进展。来自这一全面的 他的培养计划是，他将能够成功地捍卫一篇优秀的博士论文，发表排名靠前的论文 (S)，并为他职业生涯的下一阶段写博士后奖学金申请 发展成为一名独立的学术研究人员。

Project Summary/Abstract This application is a request for a Diversity Supplement to train and support a talented PhD student, Mr. Richard Quintana-Feliciano, to complement our parent grant (NIGMS R35-GM131780), titled “Structure and specificity of restriction-modification (R-M) systems”. As a Hispanic first-generation student, and coming from a low socioeconomic status, Richard has strived to excel at every step of his academic preparation, and has shown the ability and motivation to contribute fundamentally to the goals of the parent grant. The theme of the parent grant is the study of R-M systems that comprise the innate immune system in bacteria and archaea. A new paradigm in the in R-M field is the co-option of orphan and R-M methyltransferases in bacteria for epigenomic regulation of genes that are often associated with virulence factors. Richard proposes to study DNA methyltransferases (BCAM09902 and BCAL3494) from B.cenocepacia that regulate the bacterium’s biofilm formation or motility, as an extension of the parent grant. The research training is designed to bring him to a stage where he can take a problem from its infancy to an atomic crystal structure, with an understanding of the underlying thermodynamics and kinetics. The training plan has additional important elements, including specific courses and directed reading, participation in seminars and meetings, and an advisory committee to monitor and guide his progress. The expectation from this comprehensive training plan is that he will be able to successfully defend an outstanding PhD thesis, publish papers in a top tier journal(s), and also write a postdoctoral fellowship application for the next stage of his career in developing as an independent academic investigator.