CAREER: The Troponin Switch for Muscle Contraction

Oberlin College, Oberlin OH

Investigators

Abstract

Support is requested through the CAREER program to merge two goals through collaborative curricular activities that fully engage undergraduate inquiry-based examinations of cell physiology and in the design and execution of experiments on the regulatory mechanism in striated muscle. The proposed research addresses two fundamental questions: 1) through what interactions within the troponin complex and between the complex and actin-tropomyosin does the troponin switch operate and 2) to what extent and by what mechanisms does TnI modulate the calcium sensitivity of force development, but also calcium-dependent process in general. The proposed experimentation draws not only on molecular, biological, and general techniques but also on thermodynamic and kinetic reasoning, quantitative skills and mechanical analysis.