Photoresponse of the Vertebrate Sphincter Pupillae
{'Code': '08090000', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Bruce L. Umminger', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
The smooth muscle sphincters of the irises of many vertebrate               species contract when visible light is shined on them.  They do                 so with an action spectrum like the absorption spectrum of                      rhodopsin, the retinal rod pigment.  This is not mediated by                    neural elements or even any electrical event at the cell                        membrane.  It is proposed to determine whether the myocytes                     contain rhodopsin as well as various other proteins suspected of                being involved, in phototransduction and regulation of smooth                   muscle contraction including:  transducin, a rod protein, and                   three proteins commonly found in the contractile apparatus of                   smooth muscle; calmodulin, myosin light chain kinase and myosin.                A mathematical description of the biochemical reactions thought                 to be involved has been derived and this project proposes to test               the predictions of the theory by a variety of cellular                          physiological techniques.  These would include making the cells                 very permeable to molecules which otherwise would not pass the                  cell membrane.  In this way the concentrations of molecules can                 be set experimentally.  Another technique to be used is to                      release biologically active compounds from photolabile complexes                by strong flashes of light.                                                         The direct activation of the frog iris muscle by light                      involves a combination of biochemical reactions that couple the                 bleaching of a photopigment to contraction of the smooth muscle                 by an actin-myosin based system.  These biochemical reactions are               involved in signal transduction in a variety of cell types.                     Thus, further study of this unique system may shed                              new light on signal transduction mechanisms in general.
{'FirstName': 'Lloyd', 'LastName': 'Barr', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Lloyd Barr', 'EmailAddress': None, 'PI_PHON': None, 'NSF_ID': '000300141', 'StartDate': '07/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign', 'CityName': 'URBANA', 'ZipCode': '618013620', 'PhoneNumber': '2173332187', 'StreetAddress': '506 S WRIGHT ST', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Illinois', 'StateCode': 'IL', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '13', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'IL13', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'Y8CWNJRCNN91', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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[{'Code': '1117', 'Text': 'CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY'}, {'Code': '1141', 'Text': 'PHYSIOLOG & STRUCTURAL SYS'}]
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8802059.xml'}