NSF Award
9900380
9900380<br/><br/><br/>Abstract:<br/><br/> This grant is for the acquisition of state of the art radioisotopic and light imaging instrumentation. Currently there is no comparable imaging equipment at Knox College and the proposed instrumentation will significantly increase faculty and student research productivity. The instrumentation will enable research that will answer questions not accessible with technology currently available at Knox. These instruments will support research in the labs of three major and two minor users. In the laboratory of A. Mehl, the proposed research investigates how the structure of a protein relates to its function and activity. Two proteins under study are the GrpE heat shock protein from E. coli and the cAMP phosphodiesterase enzyme that is found in a variety of tissues within numerous mammalian species. One approach ito studying these proteins requires that new mutant proteins be constructed that contain specific regions of the protein; the instrumentation will dramatically reduce the time needed to generate these deletion mutant proteins. In addition, numerous biochemical assays will be carried out that require rigorous quantification of proteins and protein-protein complexes which will only be possible with the acquisition of the proposed instrumentation. M. Brodl's laboratory investigates the regulation of mRNA stability during the heat shock response of plant cells. mRNA stability is a critical mechanism for regulating the process of gene expression, yet it is not well understood. Radioisotopic probes are used to monitor the stability of genetically engineered mRNAs to identify components of the stability-regulating mechanism. The instrumentation will markedly improve the sensitivity and speed of these experiments. A. Houtman's laboratory studies the reproductive success of the house sparrow. With this instrumentation, a database of DNA "fingerprints" will be developed to differentiate between genetic and social parentage, so that predictions about the relationship between alternative reproductive strategies and their fitness consequences can be tested. The instrumentation increases the speed at which parentage can be assayed. The minor users research looks at temperature effects on the response of mononuclearphagocytic cells to Gram-negative endotoxin, and investigations into the structure, function, origin, and development of urns and other coelomocytes to wounding, regeneration, and heat stress.
