RUI: Effects of Solvent-backbone Hydrogen Bonding and Backbone N-methylation on Peptide Conformation

水-骨架相互作用在稳定肽构象中的作用已经成为一个令人兴奋的研究领域，无论是通过计算还是实验方法。本项目将以PI之前在同位素编辑红外技术发展方面的工作为基础，采用四种不同的方法研究骨干-水氢键：(1)高压对溶剂-骨干相互作用的影响；(2)促进螺旋的氟化助溶剂脱水骨架；(3)侧链屏蔽效应对螺旋骨架的选择性脱水；(4) n -甲基化肽的构象和溶剂化。这个项目的所有工作都将由芒特霍利奥克学院的女本科生来完成。获得的研究经验对许多新科学家的培训将是重要的。在过去的12年中，PI与55名本科生研究人员合作。其中15人目前正在就读或已完成化学或相关领域的博士课程。本项目由分子与细胞生物科学部的分子生物物理学和化学部的实验物理化学项目共同支持。

The role of water-backbone interactions in stabilizing peptide conformation has become an exciting area of study, both by computational and experimental approaches. This project will build upon the PI''s previous work on the development of isotope-edited infrared techniques by taking four different approaches to the study of backbone-water hydrogen bonding: (1) the effects of high pressure on solvent-backbone interactions; (2) backbone dehydration by helix-promoting fluorinated co-solvents; (3) selective backbone dehydration in helices by side-chain shielding effects; and (4) conformation and solvation of N-methylated peptides.All of the work in this project will be carried out with undergraduate women who are students at Mount Holyoke College. The research experience gained will be important to the training of many new scientists. In the past 12 years, the PI has worked with 55 undergraduate researchers. Fifteen of these are currently enrolled or have completed Ph.D. programs in chemistry or related fields. This project is being jointly supported by Molecular Biophysics in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program in the Chemistry Division.