Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2002

Reyes Christopher L, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2002. The goal of the fellowship is to prepare minority scientists for positions of scientific leadership in academia and industry. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. This program is an effort by the NSF to increase the number of research scientists from underrepresented minority groups, thereby contributing to the future vitality of the Nation's scientific enterprise. It is expected that Fellows trained through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce. The research and training plan for this fellowship is entitled "Electron microscopy study of the structure of ATP Binding Cassette transporter protein MsbA." ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) transporter proteins couple ATP hydrolysis with translocation of various substrate molecules across biological membranes. This study is investigating the model that posits that large conformational changes in the transporter protein allows the substrate to move across the membrane. Electron microscopy and helical image analysis are being used to determine the structure and mechanism of the MsbA transporter.