March 24, 2011
John Golin, professor of biology, has received a three-year grant of $497,728 from the National Science Foundation to study the biochemistry of a particular type of cellular protein that enables the cell to protect itself from toxic compounds.
All cells, including human cells, have a way of detoxifying themselves using molecular protein pumps called multidrug transporters. These protein pumps are produced at a basal level from instructions in genes, explains Golin. Unlike most proteins, which operate with a high level of specificity, these particular proteins have the ability to recognize and protect the cell from a large variety of chemical compounds.
Mutations in the genes for these pump proteins can create even greater resistance to a particular chemotherapeutic agent and therefore cause problems treating a tumor or an infection. Golin is interested in understanding the biochemical basis for this hyperesistance.
Golin hopes that studying this multidrug transporter - Pdr5, found in yeast - will help scientists understand more about similar families of "promiscuous" proteins that operate with the ability to recognize a variety of chemical compounds.
Part of the money from the grant, which will go into effect April 1, will be used to hire a postdoctoral fellow who will not only help conduct the research on the proteins, but who also will learn how to teach and mentor undergraduates.
"There is definitely a growing interest in involving undergraduates in research," says Golin. "Many very successful scientists and postdoctoral fellows like to teach undergraduates, and in fact, might only want to teach undergraduates."
Over the summer, CUA undergraduates will help conduct the research for this project in the university's biology labs.
"This is an extremely competitive NSF grant and I congratulate Professor Golin for this most recent recognition of the significance of his research work," says L.R. Poos, dean of CUA's School of Arts and Sciences.