NSF Young Investigator/Analytical Neurochemistry

国家科学基金会青年研究者项目在 分析和表面化学的一般领域， 生物分析和神经化学的分支领域。 任职期间 这个五年奖，斯威德勒教授和他的学生将 开发分析仪器和方法， 识别和定量来自单个神经元的神经元释放物， 神经末梢和单个静脉曲张的内容物，以及 然后使用这些技术来更好地理解 蜂窝通信 具体目标包括发展 毛细管区带电泳/激光诱导荧光 仪器和方法来分析和定量 单个静脉曲张和囊泡的内容物; 使用培养神经元的仪器的能力; 神经肽在人体内分布的研究 巨大海洋软体动物Aaplasia的神经元;定量 单个静脉曲张的肽含量的测量 沿着神经突起;神经肽释放的测量 从单个神经末梢;以及确定是否 在失智症神经元中的易化是由于 神经递质释放 %%% 该项目目标的成功实现将为 分析物的可靠定量的协议， zeptomole范围，从而扩展了传统的灵敏度 细胞取样技术的一千倍。 本研究 还将进一步连接科学领域， 分析化学和细胞神经生物学，导致一个 神经元信号传导的亚细胞动力学的描述， 并有助于我们对神经系统的基本理解。

This National Science Foundation Young Investigator project is in the general area of analytical and surface chemistry and in the subfields of bioanalysis and neurochemistry. During the tenure of this five-year award, Professor Sweedler and his students will develop the analytical instrumentation and methodology capable of identifying and quantifying neuronal releasates from a single nerve terminal and the contents of individual varicosities, and then use those techniques to better understand the mechanisms of cellular communication. Specific thrusts include the development of capillary zone electrophoresis/laser induced fluorescence instrumentation and methodology to assay and quantitate the contents of individual varicosities and vesicles; demonstration of the capabilities of that instrumentation using cultured neurons; study of the distribution of neuropeptides within individual neurons of the giant marine mollusk Aplysia; quantitative measurement of the peptide content of individual varicosities along a nerve process; measurement of the release of neuropeptides from a single nerve terminal; and determination of whether facilitation in Aplysia neurons is due to enhancement of neurotransmitter release. %%% The successful attainment of the goals of this project will afford protocols for the reliable quantitation of analytes in the zeptomole range, thereby extending the sensitivity of conventional cell sampling techniques by over a thousand fold. This research will also serve to further bridge the scientific domains of analytical chemistry and cellular neurobiology, lead to a description of the subcellular dynamics of neuronal signalling, and contribute to our basic understanding of the nervous system.