International Research Fellowship Program: The Atomic Structure of Amino Acids in Solution: A Neutron Diffraction and Computer Modeling Study

0404938麦克莱恩国际研究奖学金计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行三到二十四个月的研究。该计划的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，以及使用独特或互补的设施，专业知识和国外的实验条件。麦克兰与Alan K.该项目的重点是研究水溶液中氨基酸和水之间相互作用的局部结构，重点是氢键。中子衍射，增强与氢和氮同位素标记，在可能的情况下，用于确定在这些系统中的氢键。此外，衍射结果与计算机模拟模型进行了分析，使三维描述的氢键存在。这项工作，迄今为止无与伦比的，可能会显着推进我们的理解如何氢键在溶液中驱动蛋白质的结构和功能。这项工作是与A博士合作进行的。K. Soper，无序材料小组组长，在位于英国卢瑟福阿普尔顿实验室的ISIS中子源。

0404938McLainThe International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will support a twenty-two-month research fellowship by Dr. Sylvia E. McLain to work with Dr. Alan K. Soper at Rutherford Appelton Laboratory in the United Kingdom The focus of this project is to study the local structure of interactions between amino acids and water in aqueous solution, with an emphasis on hydrogen bonding. Neutron diffraction, augmented where possible with hydrogen and nitrogen isotope labeling, is used to determine the hydrogen bonding in these systems. In addition, the diffraction results are analyzed with a computer simulation models to enable a three dimensional description of the hydrogen bonding present. This work, hitherto unparalleled, is likely to significantly advance our understanding of how hydrogen bonding in solution drives protein structure and function. This work is performed in collaboration with Dr. A. K. Soper, Disordered Materials group leader, at the ISIS neutron spallation source located at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the United Kingdom.