Protein characterization via light scattering temperature controlled crystal growth and strutural refinement

蛋白质X射线晶体学是用于在原子水平上确定蛋白质结构的主要技术。了解这些结构是定义和理解复杂的生化反应和控制机制的起点。然后，可以利用对催化和结合过程的这种理解来解决疾病途径背后的复杂过程，并制定防治疾病的战略。这类策略最常见的例子是根据它们与特定酶或调节蛋白结合的可能性来设计新的抗菌和抗病毒药物。此外，正在设计干扰或刺激人类和动物体内代谢途径的新药，以改善引起疾病症状的异常生化过程。三家申请人实验室的研究重点是了解与催化周转相关的亚基间信号传导、新型抗菌药物的设计以及药物活化和抗氧化酶的研究。一个专注于蛋白质结构测定的现代结构生物学实验室结合了许多技术，将从基因分离到蛋白质表达和纯化到蛋白质结构测定的步骤整合在一起。本申请中要求的设备是该策略的组成部分，包括用于分析光散射特性的粘度计、用于晶体生长的受控温度室和用于结构细化计算的计算机网络。

Protein X-ray crystallography is the primary technology used for the determination of protein structures at the atomic level. Knowledge of such structures is the starting point for defining and understanding complex biochemical reaction and control mechanisms. This understanding of catalytic and binding processes can then be exploited to tackle the complex processes underlying disease pathways and to devise strategies for combating diseases. The most common example of such strategies is the design of new anti-bacterial and anti-viral drugs based on the likelihood of their binding to specific enzymes or regulatory proteins. In addition, new drugs are being designed that either interfere with or stimulate metabolic pathways within humans and animals to ameliorate aberrant biochemical processes causing disease symptoms. Research in the laboratories of the three applicants is focused on understanding intersubunit signaling linked to catalytic turnover, the design of new anti-bacterial drugs and the study of drug activating and anti-oxidant enzymes. A modern structural biology laboratory focused on protein structure determination combines a number of technologies to integrate the steps from gene isolation through protein expression and purification to protein structure determination. The equipment requested in this application is integral to this strategy and include a viscometer to analyze the light scattering properties, a controlled temperature chamber for crystal growth and a computer network for structural refinement computations.