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

教授们。马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校的伊戈尔·卡尔塔索夫和斯蒂芬·艾尔斯得到了分析和表面化学计划的支持，他们利用电喷雾电离(ESI)质谱仪研究生物分子和合成聚合物的结构、组装和动态性质。他们的研究探索了在严格控制的实验条件下ESI质谱图中显示的电荷态，以评估溶液的相构象。其目标是开发一种强大的工具来解决生物物理学和纳米技术中的一系列问题。尤其令人感兴趣的是低聚糖肝素调节血液凝固的分子机制，可能导致疾病状态的内在无序蛋白质的构象转变，以及了解与合成聚合物结合的蛋白质如何与其生物靶点相互作用-这是治疗药物开发中一个迅速扩大的领域。这项研究的广泛影响来自于开发一种全面的实验策略来探索复杂的多组分系统中的大分子构象和动力学-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跨学科的科学发现，涉及高端质谱仪，为年轻科学家提供了一个宝贵的培训舞台。

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.