U.S.-Australia Cooperative Research on the Measurement of Protein Crystal Impedance to Determine Dielectric Constants

该奖项将支持布鲁克海文国家实验室结构生物学中心Benno P. Schoenborn博士和澳大利亚肯辛顿新南威尔士大学Hans G. L. Coster教授在美澳合作科学项目下开展的为期两年的合作项目。科学家们将合作测量选定蛋白质晶体的介电常数。这些信息对于理解蛋白质分子内部和分子之间的静电相互作用非常重要。这些相互作用被认为在生物学上重要的蛋白质功能中起着关键作用。结晶肌红蛋白将在本项目中进行初步研究。这个过程在实验上是困难的，需要微型仪器以及使用极小的电流。在进行测量之前，需要改进现有的设备和仪器，必须开发新的计算机软件，并且需要进一步研究将测量的阻抗值转换为有用的介电常数的理论方法。将利用各合作实验室各自的优势来执行这些初步任务，并在以后进行测量和数据分析。舍恩伯恩博士是利用中子散射和其他技术研究蛋白质结构的专家。科斯特教授在膜阻抗测量方面有相当丰富的经验。在这个项目中，他们希望能够对蛋白质结构以及结构与功能之间的关系有更多的了解。

This award will support a two-year collaborative project between Dr. Benno P. Schoenborn, Center for Structural Biology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Professor Hans G. L. Coster, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia, under the U.S.-Australia Cooperative Science Program. The scientists will cooperate in measuring the dielectric constants of selected protein crystals. Such information is important in understanding electrostatic interactions within and between protein molecules. These interactions are believed to play key roles in biologically important protein functions. Crystalline myoglobin will be studied initially in this project. The procedure is experimentally difficult, requiring micro- instrumentation as well as the use of extremely small electric currents. Existing equipment and instrumentation need to be improved before the measurements can be carried out, new computer software must be developed, and the theoretical approach used to convert the measured impedance values to useful dielectric constants needs to be further investigated. The respective strengths of the cooperating laboratories will be utilized in carrying out these preliminary tasks, as well as in the later measurements and data analysis. Dr. Schoenborn is an expert in using neutron scattering and other techniques to investigate the structure of proteins. Professor Coster has had considerable experience in impedance measurements of membranes. Working together in this project they expect to be able to obtain an increased understanding of protein structures and of the relationship between structure and function.