Molecular Genetics of Paramecium Chemoreceptors

副神经元被比作游泳的神经元， 作为受体细胞的例子， 外源性化学刺激 PI已经奠定了基础工作， 草履虫化学感受的研究 有推定的化学感受器蛋白质鉴定为 刺激叶酸和cAMP。 遗传学方法已经被用于从 这是化学感受传导研究的开始 突变体在论文研究中占了很大比重， 对刺激的行为反应，来描述 导致吸引和排斥的机制， 表征随后的膜电响应 配体-受体结合并描述结合蛋白 包括两种引诱物刺激的化学感受器。 的 现在，PI已经准备好应用分子技术， 遗传学与化学感受的研究。 PI建议 在一年的休假中， 南加州大学 目标是克隆cAMP的基因， 可能是叶酸结合蛋白， 化学感受器，并将分子遗传学技术 回到她在弗吉尼亚大学的实验室 最终的结果将是申请 强大的技术来解决他们已经成熟的问题， 为PI提供最先进技术的培训， 一般，以提高未来的方向和生产力的 PI的实验室

Paramecia have been likened to swimming neurons and they serve as examples of receptor cells that are sensitive to exogenous chemical stimuli. The PI has laid the ground work in the study of chemoreception in Paramecium to the point where there are putative chemoreceptor proteins identified for the stimuli folate and cAMP. A genetic approach has been used from the very beginning of these studies of chemosensory transduction. Mutants figured heavily from the theses studies to quantify the behavioral responses to stimuli, to describe the swimming mechanisms that led to attraction and repulsion, to identify and characterize the membrane electrical responses that follow ligand-receptor binding and to describe the binding proteins including the chemoreceptors for two attractant stimuli. The stage is now set for the PI to apply the techniques of molecular genetics to the study of chemoreception. The PI proposes to train herself in molecular genetics during a sabbatical year at USC. The goal will be to clone the genes for the cAMP and possibly folate binding proteins that are candidates for chemoreceptors and to bring the technique of molecular genetics back to her laboratory at UVM. The end result will be to apply powerful techniques to a problem ripe for them, to provide training in state-of-the-art techniques for the PI, and in general, to improve the future directions and productivity of the PI's laboratory.