International Research Fellow Awards: Investigating the Structural Basis of Ligand-gated Ion Channel Opening and Desensitization

9802304 Stowell国际研究员奖励计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行三到二十四个月的研究。该计划的奖励为联合研究提供了机会，并利用独特或互补的设施、专业知识和国外的实验条件。该奖项将支持Michael H. B. Stowell博士进行为期21个月的博士后访问，与英国剑桥MRC分子生物学实验室的Nigel Unwin博士和京都大学的Yoshinori Fujiyoshi博士一起研究配体门控制离子通道打开和脱敏的结构基础。这是由IRFAP和美日计划共同支持的。具体来说，他们将研究乙酰胆碱受体（AchR）的结构，这是一种膜蛋白/离子通道，它在大脑中起着传递器的作用，允许神经元信号的传递，这样我们就可以行使走路和说话等功能。研究这种受体的结构，就像是在看一幅蓝图，以回答有关这种蛋白质功能的重要生物学和生物物理学问题。为了做到这一点，斯托威尔博士将使用由藤吉博士开发的液氦冷却电子显微镜，这台显微镜被认为是世界上唯一一台精密到足以进行这项研究的显微镜。他将使用昂温博士设计的技术，螺旋晶体制备和图像分析。＊＊＊

9802304 Stowell The International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twentyfour months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twenty-one-month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. Michael H. B. Stowell to work with Dr. Nigel Unwin at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England and with Dr. Yoshinori Fujiyoshi at Kyoto University on the investigation of the structural basis of ligand-gated ion channel opening and desensitization. This is supported jointly by the IRFAP and the U.S.-Japan Program. Specifically, they will be studying the structure of an acetylcholine receptor (AchR), which is a membrane protein/ ion channel, which functions as a transmitter in the brain which allows the transmission of neuronal signals so that we may perform such functions as walking and talking. Studying the structure of this receptor, is like looking at a blueprint for answering important biological and biophysical questions about the functioning of this protein. To do this, Dr. Stowell will use a liquid helium cooled electron microscope, developed by Dr. Fujiyoshi, a microscope thought to be the only one in the world sophisticated enough to do this research. He will use techniques devised by Dr. Unwin, helical crystal preparation and image analysis. ***