Mass Spectrometry-based Methods to Study Macromolecular Conformations and Interactions in Biophysics and Nanotechnology

教授马萨诸塞州-阿默斯特大学的Igor Kaltashov和Stephen Eyles得到了分析和表面化学项目的支持，利用电喷雾电离（ESI）质谱法研究生物分子和合成聚合物的结构、组装和动力学特性。他们的研究在仔细控制的实验条件下探测ESI质谱中显示的电荷状态，以评估溶液相构象。其目标是开发一种强大的工具，用于解决生物物理学和纳米技术中的各种问题。特别感兴趣的是由寡糖肝素调节的血液凝固的分子机制，可导致疾病状态的内在无序蛋白质的构象转变，以及了解蛋白质如何与合成聚合物结合--这是治疗药物开发中一个迅速扩大的领域--研究的更广泛影响源于探索大分子构象的综合实验策略的发展复杂多组分系统中的动力学--从生物物理学到纳米医学等不同领域迫切需要的能力。在追求这些目标的过程中，一群不同的本科生和研究生从事涉及高端质谱仪器的跨学科科学发现，为年轻科学家提供了一个宝贵的培训竞技场。

Profs. Igor Kaltashov and Stephen Eyles at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst are supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program to investigate the structure, assembly, and dynamic properties of biomolecules and synthetic polymers using electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. Their studies probe the charge states exhibited in ESI mass spectra under carefully controlled experimental conditions to evaluate solution phase conformations. The goal is to develop a powerful tool for solving a diverse set of problems in biophysics and nanotechnology. Of particular interest are the molecular mechanisms of blood clotting modulated by the oligosaccharide heparin, the conformational transitions of intrinsically disordered proteins that can lead to disease states, and understanding how proteins conjugated to synthetic polymers - a rapidly expanding field in therapeutic drug development - interact with their biological targets.Broader impacts of the research stem from the development of a comprehensive experimental strategy for probing macromolecular conformation and dynamics in complex multi-component systems - capability urgently needed in diverse fields ranging from biophysics to nanomedicine. In pursuing these aims, a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students engages in interdisciplinary scientific discovery involving high end mass spectrometry instrumentation, providing a valuable training arena to young scientists.