U.S.-U.K. Cooperative Research: Enzyme Mimics in the Gas Phase

匹兹堡大学的大卫·W·普拉特和牛津大学的W·G·理查兹和J·P·西蒙斯获得了这一为期三年的物理实验化学合作研究奖。他们的研究目的是研究酶催化部位和结合底物的超分子组装，包括超分子组装的结构和性质及其组分之间的相互作用。为模拟酶、丝氨酸和半胱氨酸蛋白酶的行为而设计的酶和酶底物模拟物将在实验中使用基于激光的电子光谱和其他技术进行研究。他们还将使用酶模拟物来研究氙气在酶催化部位的选择性结合，从而深入了解其在磁共振成像中作为部位特异性染色的潜力。这位美国研究人员和他的团队将使用理论技术表征酶结构的专业知识带到了这次合作中。此外，英国在利用从头算技术进行酶模拟制备和表征方面的专业知识也起到了补充作用。这些研究将提供有关负责酶功能的分子相互作用的新信息。

This three-year award for US-UK cooperative research in physical experimental chemistry involves David W. Pratt of the University of Pittsburgh and W.G. Richards and J.P. Simons at Oxford University. The objective of their research is to study supramolecule assemblies of enzyme catalytic sites and bound substrates, including structure and properties of the supramolecule assemblies and interaction among its components. Enzyme and enzyme substrate mimics, designed to model the behavior of the enzymes, serine and cysteine proteases, will be studied in experiments using laser-based electronic spectroscopy and other techniques. They will also use the enzyme mimics to investigate selective binding of xenon at enzyme catalytic sites, thereby providing insight into its potential as a site specific stain in magnetic resonance imaging. The US investigator and his group bring to this collaboration expertise in characterization of enzyme structures using theoretical techniques. This is complemented by British expertise in enzyme mimic preparation and characterization using ab initio techniques. These studies will provide new information about molecular interactions which are responsible for enzyme function.