NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology for FY 2011

本行动资助2011年度美国国家科学基金会生物学博士后研究奖学金，扩大参与。该奖学金支持奖学金获得者在主办实验室的研究和培训计划，该奖学金获得者还提出了扩大生物学参与的计划。Juan Giraldo的研究和培训计划的标题是“碳纳米管作为了解植物中糖运输和信号的传感器”。这项研究的主办机构是麻省理工学院，赞助科学家是迈克尔·斯特拉诺博士。糖是调节植物生长发育的关键信号分子。到目前为止，还没有直接测定植物活细胞中糖的浓度和位置的技术。碳纳米管已经被证明可以检测动物细胞中的糖，如葡萄糖和其他关键的生物分子。这些纳米传感器发出近红外线的光，不会光漂白，并且能够通过活组织进行单粒子检测。本研究开发了一种研究植物细胞中糖运输和信号传导的新技术，揭示了植物维管系统中糖运动的鲜为人知的途径，并测试了它们作为调节开花开始的信号的假设作用。培训目标包括获得纳米制造和纳米级成像的新技术。植物糖纳米传感器的开发有望在纳米技术和植物生物学的界面上开辟一个新的科学领域。植物纳米传感器有望在田间条件下监测与作物产量相关的关键因素，如植物糖和营养状况。其他更广泛的影响包括指导学生，通过麻省理工学院博物馆的讲座进行公众宣传，以及在哥伦比亚的K-12学校社区进行在线视频会议。

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2011, Broadening Participation. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Juan Giraldo is "Carbon nanotubes as sensors for understanding sugar transport and signaling in plants." The host institution for this research is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Michael Strano.Sugars are key signaling molecules that regulate growth and development in plants. To date there are no techniques for directly determining the concentration and location of sugars in living cells of plants. Carbon nanotubes have been shown to detect sugars such as glucose and other key biological molecules in animal cells. These nanosensors emit light in the near infrared, do not photobleach, and enable single particle detection through living tissue. This research develops this new technique for studying sugar transport and signaling in plant cells, unveiling the poorly understood pathways of sugar movement through the vascular system of plants, and testing their hypothesized role as signals regulating the onset of flowering. Training objectives include acquiring new techniques in nanofabrication and imaging at nanoscales. Development of sugar nanosensors for plants promises a new field of science at the interface of nanotechnology and plant biology. Plant nanosensors are expected to be capable of monitoring key factors associated with crop yield, such as plant sugar and nutrient status, under field conditions. Additional broader impacts include mentoring students, public outreach through lectures at the MIT Museum, and online videoconferences to K-12 school communities in Colombia.