Problems in Membrane Biophysics

这项研究将建立在最近的实验和 关于脂质单层的理论发现， 空气-水界面，发现在很大程度上基于 使用落射荧光显微镜。 的目的 研究是进一步利用这些显微技术 以便以高灵敏度物理检测， 化学、光化学和生物化学事件， 这个接口。 与这一总体目标特别相关的专题包括 对分子结构特性的研究 (for例如肽），其影响沿着沿着的自由能 脂质结构域之间的边界， 改变局部单分子层压力， 涉及活性氧物质攻击的反应 脂质和其它表面活性分子。 生化 特别感兴趣的事件包括脂肪酶的研究， 选择性地攻击域边界处的分子， 与细胞-细胞识别相关的分子事件，以及 病毒细胞识别 将进行实验， 如果脂质结构域的形状和形状转变可以 用于检测来自微量电泳的产物。 从长远来看，这些实验可能会导致 探测和操纵小数字的新技术 分子，尤其是生物大分子。

This research will build on recent experimental and theoretical discoveries concerning lipid monolayers at the air-water interface, discoveries based in large part on the use of epifluorescence microscopy. The objective of this research is to exploit further these microscopic techniques so as to detect with ultrahigh sensitivity physical, chemical, photochemical and biochemical events that occur at this interface. Topics of special relevance to this overall objective include the investigation of the structural properties of molecules (for example peptides) that affect the free energy along boundaries between lipid domains, molecular events that modify the local monolayer pressure and photochemical reactions involving attack of reactive oxygen species on lipids and other surface active molecules. Biochemical events of special interest include studies of lipases that selectively attack molecules at domain boundaries, and molecular events relevant to cell-cell recognition, and virus-cell recognition. Experiments will be conducted to see if the shapes, and shape transitions of lipid domains can be used to detect products derived from microlectorphoresis. From a long-term point of view these experiments may lead to new techniques for detecting, and manipulating small numbers of molecules, especially biological macromolecules.