This award will enable Prof. Theodore Kuwana and colleagues at the University of Kansas to collaborate with Prof. Yoshio Umezawa of Hokkaido University over a period of two years. They will attempt to develop ultrasensitive and selective sensors for the detection of biological substances, including neurotoxins. These sensors will be based on the use of a protein-based receptor, which acts as a gate for a membrane ionchannel. In particular, this research will focus on the glutamate binding protein, which is a constituent in the most widespread excitatory chemical transmitter system in the central nervous system, and is a candidate for a suitable protein-based receptor. The purpose of this research is to enhance the understanding of the glutamate binding protein, and the program includes the isolation and purification of GBP receptor ion channels, reconstruction of these channels in various synthetic membranes, structural and functional characterization, and determination of their genetic properties. The work brings together acknowledged experts on protein synthesis and analysis from the two countries, and could have important implications in the development of selective chemical probes.
