Enzyme and Antibody Catalysts for Polyene Cyclization Reactions

这一奖项是约翰·格里芬博士化学博士后奖学金的起始拨款增量，以支持他在斯坦福大学的研究。格里芬博士的研究重点是多烯环化反应中酶和抗体催化剂的分离、纯化和表征。纯化的环化酶的酶活性将被量化，氨基酸和基因序列将被确定。环化活性中心将通过亲和标记和定向诱变实验进行研究。这应该允许设计和制备具有新的底物和/或产品特性的工程酶。将合成杂双环免疫原，它将诱导能够引发、引导和终止二烯环氧化物环化的抗体。一旦抗体催化剂被确定，其作用机制将被研究。这将有助于更好地了解甾醇的生物合成和大分子催化作用，并可能为甾醇的合成提供有用的催化剂。

This award is made as the starter grant increment of Dr. John Griffin's Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemistry Award in support of his research at Stanford University. The thrust of Dr. Griffin's research is the isolation, purification and characterization of enzyme and antibody catalysyts for polyene cyclization reactions. Enzymatic activity of purified cyclase will be quantified and the amino acid and gene sequence will be determined. The cyclizing acive site will be studied through affinity labelling and directed mutagenesis experiments. This should permit the design and preparation of engineered enzymes having novel substrate and/or product specificities. Heterobicyclic immunogens will be synthesized which will elicit antibodies capable of initiating, directing and terminating the cyclization of diene epoxides. Once antibody catalysts have been identified, their mechanism of action will be studied. This should lead to a better understanding of sterol biosynthesis and macromolecular catalysis and may provide useful catalysts for the synthesis of sterols.