International Postdoctoral Fellows Program: Specific Recognition of Proteins with Ligand Lipids Using a Fiber Optic Sensor

小行星9301706 该奖项是根据国际博士后研究员计划，使美国科学家和工程师进行三到十二个月的研究在国外中心的卓越证明。 该计划的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，以及使用国外独特或互补的设施，专业知识和实验条件。 该奖项将支持为期12个月的博士后研究访问博士托马斯M。 博哈农将与德国美因茨的约翰内斯古滕贝格大学的赫尔穆特·林斯多夫博士合作。 Bohanon博士和Ringsdorf博士将使用光纤传感器定量研究蛋白质与配体脂质的特异性识别。 来自光纤的消逝波仅在距离光纤数十纳米内激发荧光分子;光纤收集这种荧光的一部分。 这种技术是高度选择性和非常通用的。 他们将研究链霉亲和素与生物素的特异性结合，间隔区对结合的影响，以及将第二个蛋白质层与链霉亲和素对接的可能性。 他们还将研究抗荧光素IgG和Fab与荧光素脂质的特异性结合，以及间隔区对这种结合的影响，并进行动力学测量。 最后，他们将使用石英晶体微量天平进行相同的实验;这两种技术的结合将提供对特异性结合的深入了解，否则无法实现。 ***

9301706 Bohanon This award is under the International Postdoctoral Fellows Program, which enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twelve months of research at foreign centers of proven excellence. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twelve-month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. Thomas M. Bohanon to work with Dr. Helmut Ringsdorf at Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet in Mainz, Germany. Dr. Bohanon and Dr. Ringsdorf will quantitatively study the specific recognition of proteins with ligand lipids using a fiber optic sensor. An evanescent wave from the optical fiber excites fluorescent molecules only within tens of nanometers from the optical fiber; the optical fiber collects a fraction of this fluorescence. This technique is highly selective and very versatile. They will study the specific binding of streptavidin to biotin, the effect of spacers on the binding, and the possibility of docking a second protein layer to streptavidin. They also will study the specific binding of antiflourescyl IgG and Fab to fluorescein lipids, and the effects of spacers on this binding and perform kinetic measurements. Finally, they will perform the same experiments using a quartz crystal microbalance; the combination of these two techniques will provide insight into specific binding that could not otherwise be achieved. ***