Collaborative Research: Intrinsic Gas-phase Properties of Amino Acids and Peptides: Thermochemistry, Fragmentation Mechanisms, H/D exchange and IRMPD Spectroscopy

合作研究：氨基酸和肽的固有气相性质：热化学、断裂机制、H/D 交换和 IMPD 光谱

• 批准号: 1464966
• 负责人: Jennifer Poutsma
• 金额: $ 3万
• 依托单位: Old Dominion University Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2018-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1464966&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Intrinsic; Gas; phase

With this award, the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms program is supporting the Collaborative research of Professor John C. Poutsma at the College of William and Mary and Professor Jennifer Poutsma at Old Dominion University. Professor John Poutsma employs mass spectrometry-based experiments to study the subtle interplay between the structure of amino acids and their gas-phase energetic properties. He is studying a class of compounds known as non-protein amino acids (NPAA), which are found naturally in plants and fungi, but are not used in protein synthesis. Many NPAAs are toxic to humans and other animals in part due to structural similarity to one or more of the twenty common protein amino acids (PAA). NPAAs can compete with PAAs in a variety of biological pathways including being mis-incorporated into proteins and peptides. These experiments will further understanding of the intrinsic chemistry of NPAAs as isolated entities and when incorporated into small peptides. Professor Jennifer Poutsma is performing density functional theory calculations that support and guide the experimental studies. Both research programs integrate research and educational components through the training of undergraduate researchers. The vast majority of the research projects outlined in this proposal are being performed by undergraduates at William and Mary and Old Dominion University. Performing independent research helps to teach these students not only the joy of discovery but also how to handle and work though the inevitable failures that accompany real-world science. In this research, the intrinsic gas-phase thermochemical properties of di-peptides are being determined using the extended kinetic method in a triple quadrupole instrument. Specifically, the PIs are studying the gas-phase acid-base chemistry of dipeptides that contain proline or one of its non-protein amino acid analogs azetidine-2-carboxylic acid or pipecolic acid. Thar are working to determine the effects of ring-size and conformational flexibility on the acid-base properties of these species with the goal of applying this knowledge towards a better understanding the mechanisms for selective fragmentations in low-energy tandem mass spectrometry experiments of proline-containing peptides.

凭借该奖项，化学结构、动力学和机理项目将支持威廉玛丽学院的 John C. Poutsma 教授和奥道明大学的 Jennifer Poutsma 教授的合作研究。 John Poutsma 教授采用基于质谱的实验来研究氨基酸结构与其气相能量特性之间的微妙相互作用。他正在研究一类被称为非蛋白质氨基酸（NPAA）的化合物，这种化合物天然存在于植物和真菌中，但不用于蛋白质合成。许多 NPAA 对人类和其他动物有毒，部分原因是其与 20 种常见蛋白质氨基酸 (PAA) 中的一种或多种结构相似。 NPAA 可以在多种生物途径中与 PAAs 竞争，包括被错误掺入蛋白质和肽中。这些实验将进一步了解 NPAA 作为分离实体以及掺入小肽时的内在化学性质。 Jennifer Poutsma 教授正在进行密度泛函理论计算，以支持和指导实验研究。这两个研究项目都通过本科研究人员的培训将研究和教育部分结合起来。该提案中概述的绝大多数研究项目是由威廉玛丽大学和奥多明尼恩大学的本科生进行的。进行独立研究不仅有助于教会这些学生发现的乐趣，还教会他们如何处理和克服现实世界科学中不可避免的失败。在这项研究中，正在三重四极杆仪器中使用扩展动力学方法测定二肽的固有气相热化学性质。具体来说，PI 正在研究含有脯氨酸或其非蛋白质氨基酸类似物氮杂环丁烷-2-羧酸或哌啶酸之一的二肽的气相酸碱化学。 Thar 正在努力确定环大小和构象灵活性对这些物种的酸碱特性的影响，目的是应用这些知识来更好地理解含脯氨酸肽的低能串联质谱实验中选择性断裂的机制。