"A Self Assembling Nanometer Tinker Toy From Phage T4 Tail Fiber Parts".

这个探索性研究项目的小额拨款是使用来自细菌病毒T4的尾部纤维部分来检查这些蛋白质建筑材料的机械和其他特性，其中许多材料似乎表现出不同寻常的强度和刚度。二聚体碎片正在大量生产，以进行结构分析。这些材料的结构信息将用于促进分子建模和刚度、弹性和抗拉强度等特性的理论估计，以及设计新的结构部件。更长的聚合物将通过使用基因技术来改变基本构建块的末端来制造。聚合物的平均长度可以通过添加不同极限浓度的“停止”亚基来确定。这项研究具有从生物制品中生产新型材料的潜力。

This small grant for exploratory research project is using tail fiber parts from the bacterial virus T4 to examine the mechanical and other properties of these proteinaceous building materials, many of which seem to exhibit unusual strength and stiffness. Dimer fragments are being produced in quantities appropriate for structural analysis. The structural information from these materials will be used to facilitate molecular modelling and theoretical estimations of properties such as stiffness, elasticity and tensile strength, as well as in designing novel structural parts. Longer polymers will be made by using genetic techniques to alter the ends of the basic building blocks. Average length of the polymers can be determined by adding "stop" subunits in different limiting concentrations. %%% This research has the potential to produce novel materials from biological products.