Request for Funding

Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2001

Mentor: Paul Blount

Department: Physiology

Room number: L4.134

Mail Code: 9040

Phone number: 214 648-8445

E-mail: Paul.Blount@UTSouthwestern.edu

Project title: Mechanosensitive Channels of Bacteria

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Basic Research

Brief Description of Project:

Our laboratory is primarily interested in how an organism detects mechanical forces. Towards this end, we have been studying mechanosensitive channels in bacterial membranes. These channels gate directly in response to membrane tension. The system allows us to use a variety of approaches including microbial genetic, molecular, biochemical, whole-cell physiological, and electrophysiological methods. Electrophysiologically, we can study these channels both in vivo (intact bacterial membranes), and in vitro (a totally reconstituted system). Physiologically, we have determined that bacterial mechanosensitive channels allow the cell to adapt rapidly to decreasing osmotic environments by serving as "emergency relief valves".

Currently we are utilizing random mutagenesis and microbial screens to identify interesting mutations in a mechanosensitive channel. The mutants are then further characterized by whole-cell physiology and electrophysiology to support and suggest hypotheses of how, on a molecular level, this channel senses and responds to membrane stretch.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

In the summer of 2000, Gabriel Rendon utilized microbial genetics to study a suppressor mutation. This "second-site" mutation was found to suppress many gain-of-function mutations in MscL, a bacterial mechanosensitive channel. The project has been continued, but is not yet published.

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