The purpose of these proposed studies are to (1) provide minority undergraduate students biomedical research experience that focuses on the use of video microscopy and digitized image analysis to monitor morphological changes in normal and malignantly transformed cells; (2) define and characterize the molecular basis of the role of chicken brush border myosin phosphorylation and of calcium binding to myosin in regulation of: a) myosin actin-activated ATPase activity, b) myosin filament assembly, c) the conformation of the myosin molecule, and brush border myosin-directed movement of latex beads in an in vitro motility assay; (3) measure the Trichinella larvae survivability on boned and unboned meat under microwave cooking variables; (4) renders it promising as a chemotherapeutic agent in tumor treatment. Stage I clinical trial in the ultimate aim to correlate the chemical properties of this compared (series) with its biological activity; (5) determine the effects of cryopreservation on human heart valves through observations of (a) changes in proteoglycan and collagen composition (b) differential transport and incorporation rates of radiolabeled proline and leucine histological confirmation; (6) to determine if the chlorinated compounds formed during the chlorination of wastewater are carcinogenic or toxic to aquatic organisms like fish (7) continue to test the hypothesis that enrichment of membrane phospholipids with eicosapentaenoate and/or docosohexaenoate will modulate the ability of the endothelium to synthesize vasoactive compounds in response to hormonal stimulation; and (8) investigate the structural and functional analyses of proteoglycans isolated from normal and pathogenic aortic and ocular tissue to investigate proteoglycan (PG) synthesis and metabolism to help ascertain the role of PG in atherosclerosis and disease causing corneal opicity.
