U.S.-Australia Cooperative Research: Collagen Stability andInteractions

该奖项将支持三年的旅费和通信费用，使新泽西州皮斯卡塔威罗伯特伍德约翰逊医学院生物化学系的Barbara Brodsky博士与澳大利亚维多利亚帕克维尔CSIRO生物分子工程系的John a. M. Ramshaw博士进行合作研究。这项工作将侧重于确定胶原蛋白中发现的特定氨基酸在蛋白质生物学功能中的作用。胶原蛋白三螺旋是所有结缔组织中的主要蛋白质，含有胶原蛋白的材料作为生物材料以及在更传统的皮革和明胶工业中变得越来越重要。主要研究人员正在合作研究一种模型肽方法，以确定特定序列对三螺旋稳定性和动力学的影响，确定胶原蛋白功能区域的结构特征，并设计可以形成有序阵列的胶原样肽。通过这种合作所提供的利益、专业知识和设施是对拟议项目的补充。拉姆肖博士对新泽西实验室的访问是由澳大利亚工业、科学和技术部根据美澳合作科学计划资助的。

94118662 Brodsky This award will support travel expenses and communication costs, over a three year period, to enable Dr. Barbara Brodsky from the Department of Biochemistry at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey, to conduct cooperative research with Dr. John A. M. Ramshaw of the CSIRO Department of Biomolecular Engineering in Parkville, Victoria, Australia. The work will focus on defining the role specific amino acids found in collagen have in the biological function of the protein. The collagen triple-helix is the main protein in all connective tissues, and collagen containing materials are becoming important as biomaterials, as well as in the more traditional leather and gelatin industries. The principal investigators are collaborating on a model peptide approach to determine the effect of specific sequences on triple-helix stability and dynamics, to identify the structural features of functional regions in collagen, and to design collagen-like peptides which can form ordered arrays. The interests, expertise and facilities available through this collaboration are complementary to the proposed project. The visit by Dr. Ramshaw to the laboratory in New Jersey is funded by the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Technology (DIST) under the U.S.-Australia Cooperative Science Program.