Structure, Evolutionary Significance, and Developmental     Expression of the Sea Urchin Bindin Gene
{'Code': '08090100', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Thomas E. Brady', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
The species specificity of fertilization between the sea                    urchins Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and S. franciscanus is                    controlled by the specific interaction of a sperm acrosomal                     protein, bindin, with its receptor.  This interaction is                        currently responsible for maintaining the species-isolating                     barrier between these two species, whose geographic ranges and                  reproductive seasons overlap.  Comparisons of complete protein                  sequences from cDNA clones for S. purpuratus and S. franciscanus                are being used to define protein sequences that have changed                    between the two species and may therefore be responsible for the                species-specific binding.  Synthetic peptides covering these                    regions will be used in in vitro binding assays and as                          competitors in fertilization in order to determine which altered                sequences are responsible for the change in binding activity.                   Analysis of genomic clones from these two species and comparison                to a third species, Lytechinus variegatus, will show the                        mechanism and direction of change for the important sequences.                  The bindin cDNA clones are also being used as a marker for testis               development in juvenile sea urchins.  The coordinate control of                 bindin and another testis specific gene, testis-specific sperm                  histone H2B, will be studied by comparing their promoter                        sequences and by determining the extent to which they share                     promoter DNA binding proteins.                                                  %%%                                                                                 In nature species are maintained due to infertility across                  species.  Dr. Davidson has shown that the sperm protein is                      responsible for this barrier between two species of sea urchins                 who share a habitat. They can not interbreed due to the inability               of the sperm to fertilize the egg of the other species and this                 inability is due to a species specific sperm protein.  Dr.                      Davidson proposes a molecular investigation of this protein from                the two species to determine precisely what is responsible for                  the incompatibility. The two species are close relatives and this               protein has apparently diverged during evolution. The study of                  the molecular defect here will provide information that will lead               to knowledge of the normal process of sperm-egg adhesion, a key                 event in fertilization in all species.
[{'FirstName': 'Eric', 'LastName': 'Davidson', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'H', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Eric H Davidson', 'EmailAddress': 'davidson@caltech.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000095452', 'StartDate': '10/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Roy', 'LastName': 'Britten', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'J', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Roy J Britten', 'EmailAddress': 'rbritten@caltech.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000476153', 'StartDate': '10/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'California Institute of Technology', 'CityName': 'PASADENA', 'ZipCode': '911250001', 'PhoneNumber': '6263956219', 'StreetAddress': '1200 E CALIFORNIA BLVD', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'California', 'StateCode': 'CA', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '28', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'CA28', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'U2JMKHNS5TG4', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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[{'Code': '1119', 'Text': 'Animal Developmental Mechanism'}, {'Code': '9145', 'Text': 'SPECIAL PROGRAMS-RESERVE'}]
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8813413.xml'}