Molecular Recognition in Gas Phase Biomolecules

该研究项目由分析和表面化学项目支持，使用电喷雾和基质辅助激光解吸电离（MALDI）源傅立叶变换质谱（FTMS）来研究气相大分子复合物的结构。氢-氘交换，加上去质子化反应，提供了大肽和蛋白质复合物的结构信息。我们将研究溶菌酶-寡糖复合物，并开发利用质谱分析复杂生物分子结构的一般方法。系统的，定量的研究非共价键在这些气相配合物将进行。大型生物分子的结构表征，包括药物-蛋白质复合物和生物学感兴趣的大分子物种，对于理解生命过程至关重要。质谱方法解决这些结构问题是本研究项目的重点。利用同位素交换和去质子化反应提供了一种非破坏性的结构探针。这个研究项目的结果将在许多重要生物系统的结构分析中有直接的应用。

This research project, supported in the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, uses electrospray and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) source Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry (FTMS) to investigate the structure of gas phase macromolecular complexes. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange, coupled with deprotonation reactions, provides structural information about large peptide and protein complexes. Lysozyme-oligosaccharide complexes will be examined, and general methods for the structural elucidation of complex biological molecules using mass spectrometry will be developed. Systematic, quantitative studies of non- covalent bonding in these gas phase complexes will be carried out. The structural characterization of large biological molecules, including drug-protein complexes and macromolecular species of interest to biology, is essential for the understanding of life processes. Mass spectrometric approaches to the solution of these structural problems is the focus of this research project. The use of isotopic exchange and deprotonation reactions provides a non- destructive structural probe in this effort. The results of this research project will have immediate application in the structural analysis of many important biological systems.