Acquisition of a Kinetic Flash Spectrophotometer/FluorimeterLuminometer

要求提供资金建造一个高灵敏度、高时间分辨率的闪光分光光度计，能够测量紫外线、可见光和近红外波长。闪光灯用于探测吸收信号，从而获得极高的光学分辨率和纳秒级的时间分辨率。使用光纤引导光进入和离开实验样品，使得仪器可以很容易地重新配置，以测量荧光和发光，所有这些都使用本质上相同的敏感电子元件。这种类型的仪器通常用于光合物质的生物物理研究。因此，四个主要用户和一个次要用户将集中在光合参数上，以评估蛋白质跨生物膜转运的模型，光合物质对变化的光条件的响应，光合电子传递链的组织，以及叶绿体和细胞表面之间的细胞内通信。与光合作用没有直接关系的仪器的拟议用途包括测定重建膜蛋白周围模型膜的粘度，研究光敏色素载脂蛋白突变对光敏色素功能的影响，以及开发电致atp酶功能的敏感检测方法。

Funds are requested to construct a high sensitivity, high time resolution flash spectrophotometer capable of measurements at UV, visible and near IR wavelengths. A flash lamp is used for interrogation of absorption signals, resulting in extremely high optical resolution coupled with nanosecond time resolution. The use of fiber optic guides to direct light into and away from experimental samples allows the instrument to be easily reconfigured to measure fluorescence and luminescence, all of which make use of essentially the same sensitive electronic components. This type of instrument is used often for biophysical studies of photosynthetic material. Accordingly, four of the major and one of the minor users will concentrate on photosynthetic parameters to evaluate models of protein translocation across biological membranes, responses of photosynthetic material to changing light conditions, organization of the photosynthetic electron transport chain, and intracellular communication between chloroplasts and cell surfaces. Proposed uses for instrument not directly related to photosynthesis include determination of the viscosity of model membranes around reconstituted membrane proteins, investigation of the effects of mutations in the phytochrome apoprotein on phytochrome function, and development of sensitive assays for the function of electrogenic ATPases.