Ultrafast Hydration Dynamics at Protein Surfaces

在这个由化学系实验物理化学项目和生物学理事会分子和细胞生物科学部分子生物物理项目资助的奖项中，俄亥俄州州立大学的钟东平教授和他的研究生将探索蛋白质周围的水合动力学，以了解表面水运动如何影响蛋白质动力学。 他们将使用色氨酸探针的飞秒光谱测量来实现这一点。 这些研究将为科学家提供线索，了解生物分子周围的水如何影响各种重要的行为，从折叠和聚集到分子识别和催化。除了在活跃的跨学科领域产生广泛影响外，钟教授还将为他的学生提供宝贵的机会-无论是在他的研究小组还是在他的课程中-接触生物物理科学的前沿领域。

In this award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division and the Molecular Biophysics Program of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Division in the Biology Directorate, Prof. Dongping Zhong of Ohio State University and his graduate research students will probe the hydration dynamics around proteins to learn how surface water motions influence protein dynamics. They will do this using femtosecond spectroscopic measurements of tryptophan probes. These studies should provide scientists with clues to how the water surrounding biomolecules influences a variety of important behaviors, from folding and aggregation to molecular recognition and catalysis.Besides the broad impact of the research on an active interdisciplinary field, Prof. Zhong will provide his students - both in his research group and in his courses - with valuable exposure to frontier areas of biophysical science.