MRI: Acquisition of X-Ray protein crystallography equipment at Northeastern University

这笔拨款用于购买东北大学的x射线大分子晶体学设备。x射线晶体学为接近原子分辨率的蛋白质和其他大分子三维可视化提供了最强大的场所之一。它是结构生物学的核心，提供了实验数据，使科学家能够在分子的“样子”和它们的功能之间建立联系。HighFlux HomeLab由Rigaku MicroMax-007HF x射线发生器组成，具有最先进的光学器件，x射线探测器和冷冻系统，可实现高质量的晶体学数据收集，具有安全和自动化的功能，便于访问具有不同科学兴趣和专业知识的研究小组。直到最近，这种以原子分辨率揭示生物分子分子细节的数据，特别是对于小而脆弱的晶体，需要前往国家实验室，如阿贡国家实验室的先进光子源和其他同步加速器x射线源。同步加速器设备可供具有丰富晶体学经验的专业科学家使用。东北大学的HighFlux家庭实验室将为专家x射线晶体学家提供场地，在研究生和本科生的密切参与下进行尖端研究，并为非专家提供场地，以扩大他们的研究范围，包括结构生物学。该设备与东北大学已经存在的核磁共振波谱、质谱、电子顺磁共振波谱和计算设备的结构生物学设备高度互补，从而完成了最先进的结构生物学研究中使用的主要生物物理方法。通过该项目解决的科学问题将有助于阐明对细胞信号传导、DNA损伤和修复、酶催化以及结构生物学在能源生产、人类疾病和生物分子工程方面的更实际应用的基本理解，其成功建立在理解基本过程的基础上。使用x射线设备的核心将是大分子晶体学课程，以研讨会的形式举办，旨在将结构生物学的研究、教学和培训结合起来。东北大学在体验式学习方面走在前列，其Co-op系统将本科生安置在校园内、波士顿地区及其他地区的实验室里，进行长时间的全职研究。研讨会将得到PI和copi的投入和支持，一个拥有博士学位和丰富大分子晶体学经验的设施经理，一个学术专家和一个研究生助教。本课程欢迎对x射线数据收集、结构细化和分析感兴趣的教师、研究生和本科生参加。学生们将被鼓励携带他们自己的晶体，但项目也将与PI和coPI的研究小组相关。随着21世纪的研究变得越来越多学科，本课程将提供“实践”经验，以便不同专业领域的研究人员能够将结构生物学整合到他们的科学思考中，不仅能够对东北大学收集的结构进行批判性评估，还能够对蛋白质数据库中存储的结构以及相关数据进行批判性评估。就研究人员而言，该项目将在一个非常多样化的环境中实现高度集成的研究、教学和学习环境。除了高产的学者外，这个项目的高级人员在种族、民族和性别方面也是多样化的。五人中有四人是女性，一名拉丁裔，一名美洲原住民和一名非洲裔美国人。目前在PI和coPI实验室的研究生和本科生包括26名女性，18名男性，5名非洲裔美国人，2名美洲原住民和1名拉丁裔。参与该项目的年轻女性和少数族裔将看到自己成功的可能性，这反映在她们的榜样身上，并将被鼓励继续从事科学研究，从而有助于增加这些群体在全国科学研究界的代表性。

This grant is for the purchase of X-ray macromolecular crystallography equipment at Northeastern University. X-ray crystallography provides one of the most powerful venues for the visualization of proteins and other macromolecules in three dimensions at near atomic resolution. It is at the heart of structural biology, giving access to experimental data that allows scientists to make the connection between what molecules "look like" and how they function. The HighFlux HomeLab, consisting of the Rigaku MicroMax-007HF X-ray generator, with state-of-the-art optics, X-ray detector and cryo-system, enables high-quality crystallographic data collection with secure and automated features that facilitate access to research groups with diverse scientific interests and expertise. Until recently the kind of data that reveals molecular details of biological molecules at atomic resolution, particularly for small and fragile crystals, required travel to national laboratories such as the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory and other synchrotron X-ray sources. Synchrotron facilities are available to a specialized group of scientists with extensive experience in crystallography. The HighFlux HomeLab at Northeastern University will provide the venue for expert X-ray crystallographers to perform cutting edge research with close involvement of graduate and undergraduate students as well as for non-experts to expand the scope of their research to include structural biology. This equipment is highly complementary to structural biology equipment already present at Northeastern in the areas of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, Mass Spectrometry, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy and computational equipment, thus completing the major set of biophysical approaches used in state of the art structural biology research. Scientific questions being addressed through this project will help elucidate fundamental understanding of cell signaling, DNA damage and repair, enzyme catalysis as well as more practical applications of structural biology to energy production, human disease and biomolecular engineering, the success of which is built on understanding fundamental processes. Central to the use of the X-ray equipment will be a course in Macromolecular Crystallography, staged in the form of a workshop designed to integrate research, teaching and training in structural biology. Northeastern is at the forefront of experiential learning, with a Co-op system that places undergraduates in laboratories across campus, in the Boston area and beyond, for extended periods of full time research. The workshop will have input and support from the PI and coPIs, a facility's manager with a Ph.D. and extensive experience in macromolecular crystallography, an academic specialist and a graduate teaching assistant. This workshop course will welcome faculty, graduate and undergraduate students interested in X-ray data collection, structure refinement and analysis. Students will be encouraged to bring their own crystals, but projects will also be available associated with the PI's and coPI's research groups. As research in the 21st century becomes ever more multidisciplinary, this course will provide "hands on" experience so that researchers in various areas of expertise can integrate structural biology in thinking about their science, with the ability to make a critical assessment not only of structures collected at Northeastern, but also of those deposited in the Protein Data Bank, along with the associated data. The highly integrated research, teaching and learning environment enabled by this project will take place in a very diverse environment in terms of the researchers involved. In addition to being highly productive scholars the senior personnel on this project are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity and gender. Four out of the five are women, one Latina, one Native American and one African American. Current graduate and undergraduate students in the PI's and coPI's laboratories include 26 women, 18 men, 5 African Americans, 2 Native Americans and 1 Latina. Young women and minorities on this project will see the possibilities of success for themselves as reflected in their role models and will be encouraged to continue to do science, helping to increase representation for these groups in our scientific research communities nation wide.