FTIR Study of Bacteriorhodopsin

Rothschild博士的目标仍然是阐明由膜蛋白细菌视紫红质（bR）驱动的质子运输的主动运输和能量转导系统。将使用的技术组合包括傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）差分光谱，同位素标记和位点特异性诱变。傅里叶红外差分光谱足够灵敏，可以检测和表征bR中发生的小分子变化。将与Khorana博士的实验室合作，对一系列广泛的bR突变体进行检查。这些突变体的光循环将通过紫外可见吸收和共振拉曼光谱来表征。此外，一些新的光谱方法将被用于在更多生理条件下用FTIR研究bR。由膜蛋白细菌视紫蛋白进行的光驱动质子输运也具有能量转导过程的特征。尽管对bR和其他膜转运蛋白进行了广泛的研究，但这些过程的分子基础仍然未知。FTIR光谱可以在单个化学基团水平上探测生物分子的分子动力学。

Dr. Rothschild's goal continues to be the elucidation of the active transport and energy transduction system of light-driven proton transport by the membrane protein, bacteriorhodopsin (bR). A combination of techniques will be used that include Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) difference spectroscopy, isotopic labelling and site-specific mutagenesis. FTIR-difference spectroscopy is sufficiently sensitive to detect and characterize small molecular alterations which occur in bR. An extensive series of bR mutants will be examined in collaboration with Dr. Khorana's laboratory. The photocycle of these mutants will be characterized by UV-visible absorption and resonance Raman spectroscopy. In addition, several new spectroscopic methods will be used to study bR by FTIR under more physiological conditions. The light-driven proton transport carried out by the membrane protein bacteriorhodoprin is also characterized by an energy transduction process. Despite extensive research on bR and other membrane transport proteins, the molecular basis of these processes is still unknown. FTIR spectroscopy can probe the molecular dynamics of biomolecules at the level of single chemical groups.