Preparative ultracentrifuge for the study of ribonucleoprotein complexes, their structure, function, and rational engineering.

为了支持莱斯布里奇大学的几个研究项目，迫切需要一个预备性超速离心机。这些项目侧重于负责将遗传信息转化为功能蛋白质的细胞机制的结构和功能动力学基础上的机械原理，这一过程被称为翻译。翻译发生在核糖体上，核糖体是含有细胞纳米机器的最丰富的RNA和蛋白质之一。这些大分子机器以复杂和精确的方式与大量额外的蛋白质和RNA相互作用，促进对每个活细胞至关重要的快速和准确的蛋白质合成。对大分子组装过程中固有的动力学性质和机制的详细了解对于合理的药物设计和生物分子工程等广泛的应用是至关重要的。核糖体是一个特别相关和有趣的模型系统，是蛋白质合成的场所，也是许多抗生素和合理药物设计项目的靶标。所支持的研究计划将极大地有助于理解和确定蛋白质-RNA纳米机器及其自组装特性的设计原理。此外，它还将阐明RNA修饰和修饰酶在这种含有RNA和蛋白质的细胞机器的组装和功能机制中所起的作用，为我们提供合理设计和设计生物分子纳米机器所需的关键信息。所要求的仪器将用于分析和制备性纯化核糖体、核糖体亚单位、核糖体前体以及确定的核糖体复合体和修饰的核糖体。所要求的仪器将取代旧的现有系统，这是莱斯布里奇大学唯一的预备性超离心机，今年早些时候失败了。所要求的超离心机将与现有的超离心机转子套件兼容，使其成为最具成本效益的解决方案。

A preparative ultracentrifuge is urgently requested to support several research projects at the University of Lethbridge. These projects focus on the mechanistic principles underlying the structural and functional dynamics of the cellular machinery that are responsible for the translation of genetic information into functional proteins, a process called translation. Translation takes place at the ribosome, one of the most abundant RNA and protein containing cellular nano-machines. These macromolecular machines interact in a complex and precisely timed fashion with numerous additional proteins and RNAs, facilitating the fast and accurate protein synthesis crucial for every living cell. A detailed understanding of the dynamic properties and mechanisms inherent to processes occurring in macromolecular assemblies is crucial for a wide variety of applications such as rational drug design and bio-molecular engineering. The ribosome is a particularly relevant and interesting model system, being the site of protein synthesis and the target for numerous antibiotics and rational drug design projects. The supported research programs will strongly contribute to understanding and identifying the design principles underlying protein-RNA nano-machines and their self-assembly properties. Furthermore it will shed light on the role that RNA modifications and modifying enzymes play for the assembly and functional mechanisms of such RNA and protein containing cellular machines, providing us with key information required for the rational design and engineering of bio-molecular nano-machines. The requested instrument will be used for the analysis and preparative purification of ribosome, ribosomal subunits, ribosomal precursors, as well as defined ribosomal complexes and modified ribosomes. The requested instrument will replace an old existing system which is the only preparative ultracentrifuge at the University of Lethbridge and which failed earlier this year. The requested Ultracentrifuge will be compatible with the existing suite of ultracentrifugation rotors, making it the most cost-effective solution.