9704712 Jennings The objective of the proposed project is to develop the Arkansas Center for Membrane Biology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). The rationale for choosing membrane biology for development is that expertise in the study of membrane receptors, transporters, and channels will complement and augment several existing basic research strengths at UAMS, including neuroscience, glycobiology, endocrinology, virology, and toxicology. The Chancellor and the Dean of the College of Medicine at UAMS have made a major commitment to building in this area with the hiring in 1995 of the P.I. of this proposal, Michael L. Jennings, as Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. Newly renovated laboratory space and salary lines to hire six faculty (three new positions and three replacements) have been provided to Dr. Jennings. Two additional faculty recently hired with adjunct appointments in Physiology and Biophysics will also contribute importantly to the critical mass of investigators in membrane biology. NSF EPSCoR funds are requested to enhance the equipment startup packages for new faculty and to support core facilities that are needed for competitive research in membrane biology. Development of the Center will focus on two themes. The first is the regulation of function of membrane receptors for hormones and neurotransmitters. There are currently four members of this group, with one established investigator, Lawrence E. Comett. The others are George T. Blevins, Jr., Richard C. Kurten, and Dana Gaddy-Kurten, all of whom study different aspects of peptide hormone receptors. Dr. Blevins has been Assistant Professor for three years; Drs. Kuden and Gaddy-Kurten were hired as Assistant Professors in August, 1996. Two additional faculty will be hired in this area. The other group of investigators will use biophysical approaches to study membrane transport and electrophysiology. The nucleus of this group consists of M.L. Jennings, Gerald Dienel, and Z. Jimmy Zhou. Dr. Dienel was hired as Associate Professor in April, 1996, and Dr. Zhou was hired as Assistant Professor in August, 1996. Two additional faculty will be hired in the area of transport biophysics and electrophysiology. The two areas of focus (receptors and biophysics) will not be isolated from each other; there will be constant interaction between the groups, and the faculty to be hired will very likely have interests that overlap both groups. EPSCoR funds are requested for the purchase of equipment and the support of core facilities that will enhance the competitiveness of the target faculty: Blevins, Kuden, Gaddy-Kurten, Dienel, Zhou, and four faculty to be hired. The core facilities are a molecular biology laboratory, a transgenic mouse facility, and computer facility for access to DNA sequence data bases. Funds are also requested for an extensive extramural seminar program, which will allow faculty to interact closely with leading experts in membrane biology. Other funds will be used for summer salary for visiting faculty from neighboring undergraduate institutions and for stipends for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Three major equipment items are requested. The first is a work station for the laser manipulation of cells (laser scissors and tweezers), to be used by Drs. Kurten and Gaddy-Kurten to enable them to select rare cells from a population and to do a variety of other cellular manipulations. The second item is equipment for optical imaging of calcium, to be used by Drs. Zhou and Blevins to quantify the time course and spatial pattern of calcium release from intracellular stores or entry across the plasma membrane. The third item is a brain imaging system to be used by Dr. Dienel and several collaborators for analysis of transport and metabolism in intact central nervous system. Additional equipment funds are requested to enhance the startup packages for the four additional faculty to be hired. A plan is in place for the professional development of the faculty in the Center, including the provision of protected time for junior faculty, publication goals, and assistance in preparing grant proposals. The national reputations of faculty will be developed by participation in national meetings and other off campus learning experiences; hosting visits by seminar speakers; presentation of seminars at other institutions; and participation as peer reviewers of manuscripts and grants. The goals over the next few years are for individual faculty to become established investigators with extramural funding, and for major multi-investigator grants to result from common interests and complementary expertise among members of the Center.
