This award provides funds for the establishment of a Research Training Group in Signal Transduction at Iowa State University. The faculty group is a mixture of outstanding senior and junior investigators who come from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, but share a common interest in intra- and extracellular signal transduction. The funds will provide stipends for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees, will support research participation by undergraduate students and will defray part of the cost of the trainees' research. In addition, funds will be used to purchase specialized research equipment to be used by trainees and to bring investigators from other research and academic institutions to the campus for seminars and symposia. Signal transduction within and between cells is fundamental to all types of cells and plays a crucial role in normal cell development and function. Examples of signal transduction might include the cell-cell interactions involved in development and function of the nervous system, and the molecular mechanisms by which extracellular signals effect temporary or permanent changes in the metabolism and gene expression within individual cells. Typically, studies of signal transduction are directed at any of a number of levels of cell organization, from the atomic to the organismal. The faculty participating in this training group study cells from a variety of organisms using a variety of biophyisical and molecular biological techniques. By integrating their research programs and training activities in these various areas, the group will promote a cross fertilization of intellectual and experimental approaches that should provide a superb experience for faculty and students alike.
