An Investigation of Biophysical Variables in Stiff and Hypertropic Mutant Sporangiophores of Phycomyces Blakesleeanus

主要研究者（PI）以前的研究已经推导出，开发和建立了定量生物物理方程，描述了Phycometum blakesleeanus的大型圆柱形单细胞孢子囊和其他具有壁的细胞（即藻类，真菌和植物细胞）的膨胀生长。目前的研究项目的目的是获得洞察生物物理变量和相关的生物过程，控制膨胀的增长和增长行为之间的关系，通过使用突变的孢子囊载体，表现出异常的增长行为。该研究将集中在菌株的僵硬和hypertrophic突变孢子囊，表现出弱和增强的热带反应和生长反应，分别。将进行生物物理实验，以确定僵硬和肥大突变孢子囊载体的相关生物物理变量的大小和行为。将获得的结果与野生型孢子囊梗的结果进行比较。为先前的NSF资助（MCB-0640542）进行的研究提出了一种真菌壁化学假说，该假说可以解释在缺氧期间、在光照和回避生长反应期间以及在稳定生长期间孢子囊体发育的不同阶段观察到的相关生物物理变量的行为。在目前的研究项目中，真菌壁化学假说补充了新的理论发现，提供了相关的生物物理变量和生物过程之间的定量关系，是不可或缺的膨胀增长。重要的是，真菌壁化学假说连同这些新提出的定量关系可以调和以前建立的定量生物物理方程膨胀生长与其他以前提出的生物模型生长的藻类，真菌和植物细胞。真菌壁化学假说和新提出的定量关系将被用来分析和解释从僵硬和高嗜性突变孢子囊梗和野生型孢子囊梗获得的实验结果。在不久的将来，拟议的研究结果和基因组测序可以为基因及其产物在真菌细胞扩张生长和扩张生长调控中的功能提供新的见解。由于孢子囊表现出对感官刺激的生长反应，结果可以提供新的洞察基因及其产物在感官transduction pathways.Broader ImpactsThe的结果，拟议的研究将被整合到两个新的研究生生物工程课程，PI介绍，开发，并教：细胞生物工程I和II。参与的研究生将被鼓励教本科实验室课程之一，使PI可以通过第一学期的课程辅导他们，并培养他们的信心和教学技能，使他们能够更独立地教第二学期。研究生和本科生，其中包括代表性不足的群体的成员，将参与研究项目的各个方面。PI和参与的学生将为西班牙裔专业工程师协会学生分会在丹佛大都会地区为高中和中学生举行的年度外联会议举办研讨会。

Previous research by the Principal Investigator (PI) has derived, developed, and established quantitative biophysical equations that describe expansive growth of the large cylindrical single-celled sporangiophores of Phycomyces blakesleeanus and other cells with walls, i.e. algal, fungal, and plant cells. The objective of the current research project is to obtain insight into relationships between the biophysical variables and associated biological processes that control expansive growth and growth behavior by using mutant sporangiophores that exhibit abnormal growth behavior. The research will focus on strains of stiff and hypertropic mutant sporangiophores which exhibit weak and enhanced tropic responses and growth responses, respectively. Biophysical experiments will be conducted to determine the magnitude and behavior of relevant biophysical variables for stiff and hypertropic mutant sporangiophores. The obtained results will be compared to those of wild type sporangiophores. Research conducted for the prior NSF Grant (MCB-0640542) proposes a fungal wall chemistry hypothesis which can explain the observed behavior of relevant biophysical variables during anoxia, during light and avoidance growth responses, and for different stages of sporangiophore development during steady growth. In the current research project, the fungal wall chemistry hypothesis is complemented with new theoretical findings that provide quantitative relationships between relevant biophysical variables and biological processes that are integral to expansive growth. Importantly, the fungal wall chemistry hypothesis together with these newly proposed quantitative relationships can reconcile the previously established quantitative biophysical equations for expansive growth with other previously proposed biological models for growth of algal, fungal, and plant cells. The fungal wall chemistry hypothesis and the newly proposed quantitative relationships will be used to analyze and interpret the experimental results obtained from stiff and hypertropic mutant sporangiophores and wild type sporangiophores. In the near future, the results of the proposed research and the sequencing of the genome can provide new insight into the functions of genes and their products in expansive growth and regulation of expansive growth of fungal cells. As the sporangiophores exhibit growth responses to sensory stimuli, the results can provide new insight into the functions of genes and their products in sensory transduction pathways.Broader ImpactsThe results of the proposed research will be integrated into two new graduate bioengineering courses that the PI introduced, developed, and teaches: Cellular Bioengineering I and II. Participating graduate students will be encouraged to teach one of the undergraduate laboratory courses so that the PI may mentor them through the course for the first semester and develop their confidence and teaching skills so that they can teach the second semester more independently. Graduate and undergraduate students, which include members of underrepresented groups, will participate in all aspects of the research project. The PI and participating students will conduct workshops for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers student chapter's annual outreach conference for high school and middle school students in the Denver metropolitan area.