Collaborative Research: Relating detrital peptide sequences to particulate organic matter diagenetic histories

生物、化学和物理过程改变了新近沉积的海洋沉积物。在这种通常被称为早期成岩作用的蚀变过程中，有机物的数量和组成发生了变化，这影响了海洋碳循环的关键组成部分。在这项研究中，研究人员将使用分析技术来评估早期成岩作用期间肽的地球化学，并开发评估细菌作用的方法。这项研究很重要，因为有机分子如肽影响海洋中碳和氮的降解速率和命运，因此对于理解这些关键营养物质的地球化学循环具有广泛的相关性。该项目还将为本科生和研究生提供研究机会，并通过为来自代表性不足社区的女中学生提供暑期实习机会（项目COOL），鼓励下一代海洋科学家的多样性。大多数用于评估有机物在其早期成岩作用中“有多沿着”的成岩指数都是以氨基酸组成为基础的。总的可水解氨基酸组成以粗略的方式指示有机物质降解状态、生物利用度和来源。进一步开发氨基酸作为评估地球化学过程的工具，需要包括肽链中所包含的丰富信息，这些信息目前在水解过程中丢失。一个强大的方法来测序碎片肽是应用串联质谱法，然后从头测序。在该项目中，研究人员将使用从头测序来评估早期成岩作用期间的肽和蛋白质地球化学，并开发一种肽聚糖特异性定量方法，该方法允许利用在不同细菌中发现的独特肽聚糖肽结构。在该项目下将采取的具体行动包括：（1）对一组已充分表征的档案样品进行从头测序;（2）进行一组吸附实验，以评估不同碎屑肽粘附在矿物表面并防止降解的倾向;以及（3）开发一种定量方法来测量肽聚糖肽。通过将碎屑肽与其他已知量的样品集进行比较，将评估有机质成岩作用与肽源、序列和保存之间的关系。

Biological, chemical, and physical processes alter recently deposited marine sediments. During this alteration, commonly referred to as early diagenesis, the quantity and composition of organic matter is changed which influences key components of the marine carbon cycle. In this study, researchers will use analytical techniques to evaluate the geochemistry of peptides during early diagenesis, and develop methods for assessing the role bacteria play. This research is important because organic molecules such as peptides influence degradation rates and the fate of carbon and nitrogen in the ocean, and therefore have broad relevance for understanding the geochemical cycling of these key nutrients. The project will also involve research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as encourage diversity in the next generation of ocean scientists by providing summer internship opportunities for female middle school students from underrepresented communities (Project COOL).Most diagenetic indices for evaluating how "far along" organic matter is in its early diagenesis are based on amino acid compositions. Total hydrolyzable amino acid compositions indicate, in a coarse manner, organic matter degradation status, bioavailability, and source. Further development of amino acids as tools to assess geochemical processes requires including the wealth of information held within the peptide chains, information that is currently lost during hydrolysis. A powerful approach to sequencing detrital peptides is the application of tandem mass spectroscopy followed by de novo sequencing. In this project, researchers will use de novo sequencing to evaluate peptide and protein geochemistry during early diagenesis, and to develop a peptidoglycan-specific quantification method that allows utilization of the unique peptidoglycan peptide structures found in different bacteria. Specific actions to be taken under this project include (1) applying de novo sequencing to a set of well-characterized archive samples, (2) conducting a set of sorption experiments to evaluate the propensity for different detrital peptides to adhere to mineral surfaces and be protected from degradation, and (3) developing a quantitative method for measuring peptidoglycan peptides. By comparing detrital peptides to other known quantities of the sample set, relationships between organic matter diagenesis and peptide source, sequence, and preservation will be assessed.