9503513 Matheson This award supports a 12-month Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) postdoctoral fellowship for Dr. Julie M. Matheson, employed at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Yokusuka, Japan. The fellowship opportunity will enable Dr. Matheson to initiate collaborative research with Dr. Katsuhiko Mikoshiba at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Japan (RIKEN), NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories, Tsukuba. The goal of the proposed research is to develope a fluorescent probe for inositol 1,4,5 triphosphate (IP3) that can be used to investigate signal transduction pathways in single cells. Cloning and expression of IP3 binding proteins will be done in Dr. Mikoshiba's laboratory at RIKEN and microscopic imaging will be done through a collaboration with Dr. Roger Tsien at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). A similar collaboration between Drs. R. Y. Tsien and S. Taylor at UCSD led to the development of a fluorescent indicator for a different cellular messenger, and this proposed project provides a logical bridge between the laboratories of R. Y. Tsien and K. Mikoshiba. The postdoctoral fellowship will allow Dr. Matheson to become familiar with research practices in Japan as well as to establish professional contacts internationally. It will also provide access to unique research facilities and will encourage international cooperation between U.S. and Japanese scientists. Therefore, this proposal fulfills the objectives of the Program in its exchange and transfer of scientific knowledge through international collaberation.
