MRI: Acquisition of Automated Isothermal Titration Calorimeter for Biophysical Research at Texas State University

德克萨斯州州立大学获得了一项奖励，以获得一台自动化MicroCal PEAQ等温滴定量热仪，用于分析生物大分子之间的相互作用。等温滴定量热法（ITC）测量化学反应或过程产生的热量。热与基本热力学参数（自由能、焓、熵和热容）之间的关系使ITC能够直接测量描述系统做功能力的那些属性-这是理解生物生命的关键概念。正因为如此，ITC是一种经典的方法，被广泛用于表征大分子之间的相互作用，特别是包括核酸和蛋白质。作为德克萨斯州立大学第一台用于生物大分子分析的量热仪器，自动化PEAQ-ITC大大扩展了该机构的生物物理研究能力。德克萨斯州立大学是一所西班牙裔服务机构，拥有大量的第一代和非传统学生，这套ITC系统提供了宝贵的培训和教育机会。该仪器将为本科生和研究生提供生物物理方法学和当代高通量自动化方面的经验。此外，该ITC将支持正在进行的研究和教育工作，以整合物理学、化学和生物学学科，对支撑所有生命机制的生物大分子之间的相互作用进行精确和定量表征。德克萨斯州自动PEAQ-ITC将用于分析与广泛的生物分子相互作用相关的能量学。特别是，我们将使用ITC来研究蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用，这是蛋白质折叠途径，相分离事件，细胞信号传导途径和DNA修复复合物的一部分。还将研究蛋白质-核酸相互作用，其驱动调节DNA修复过程、mRNA运输和蛋白质翻译的复合物的形成。由ITC监测的小分子DNA结合试验将确定非规范DNA结构（例如，四链体和三链体）可以通过配体调节。最后，ITC的自动化功能特别有利于基于片段的配体发现和表征，这将用于发现变构控制细胞信号网络的新试剂。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

An award is made to Texas State University to acquire an automated MicroCal PEAQ isothermal titration calorimeter for the analysis of interactions between biological macromolecules. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measures the heat generated by chemical reactions or processes. The relationships between heat and the fundamental thermodynamic parameters (free energy, enthalpy, entropy, and heat capacity) enables ITC to measure directly those properties that describe a system’s ability to perform work – a key concept for understanding biological life. Because of this, ITC is a classical method that is widely used to characterize the interactions between macromolecules, especially including nucleic acids and proteins. As the first calorimetric instrumentation for the analysis of biological macromolecules at Texas State University, the Automated PEAQ-ITC significantly expands the biophysical research capacity of the institution. Texas State University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution with a large population of first-generation and non-traditional students, and this ITC system provides invaluable training and education opportunities. The instrumentation will afford experience to undergraduate and graduate students in both biophysical methodology and contemporary high-throughput automation. In addition, this ITC will support ongoing efforts in research and education to integrate the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and biology for the precise and quantitative characterization of interactions between biological macromolecules that underpin all mechanisms of life.The Texas State Automated PEAQ-ITC will be used to analyze the energetics associated with a wide range of biomolecular interactions. In particular, we will use ITC to study protein-protein interactions that are part of protein-folding pathways, phase-separation events, cellular signaling pathways, and DNA repair complexes. Protein-nucleic acid interactions that drive the formation of complexes regulating DNA repair processes, mRNA trafficking, and protein translation will also be studied. Small molecule-DNA binding assays, monitored by ITC, will identify how the formation of noncanonical DNA structures (e.g., quadruplexes and triplexes) can be modulated by ligands. Finally, the automated feature of the ITC is especially beneficial for fragment-based ligand discovery and characterization, which will be used to find new reagents that allosterically control cell signaling networks.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.