Orientation and Function in Self-Organized Protein Films

该项目由化学部、 分子和细胞生物科学部， 生物仪器和资源，解决了两个假设。 首先，高度取向有序的功能性蛋白质膜可以 通过在高度有序的液体/固体上吸附而自组织 界面，并且该膜的取向顺序可以控制 通过改变这个界面的性质，第二， 蛋白质膜中的功能取决于宏观取向 秩序 这项研究的目的是提供一个更详细的 了解蛋白质薄膜在生物传感和 生物分离装置。 在这34个月的任期内， 继续拨款，Saavedra教授，化学家，和李博士，光学 科学家，将合作应用偏振反射光谱， 即平面集成光波导衰减全反射 （IOW-ATR）和全内反射荧光（TIRF），以在 细胞色素c的结构和功能的原位表征， 肌红蛋白膜在固液界面。 这项研究解决了有序的，功能性的 蛋白质薄膜和分析技术的发展， 描述这些电影。 一个将军的成功发展 将蛋白质自组织成定向二维 阵列对于生物技术应用将是非常有用的。 还有， 这项研究应该能使人们更清楚地了解 水合蛋白质膜的结构与其 有助于蛋白质膜设计的宏观性质， 应用.

This project, jointly supported by the Division of Chemistry, the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, and the Division of Biological Instrumentation and Resources, addresses two hypotheses. First, that a highly orientationally ordered, functional protein film can be self-organized by adsorption at a highly ordered liquid/solid interface and that the orientational order of this film can be controlled by changing the nature of this interface, and second, that biochemical function in a protein film is dependent on macroscopic orientational order. The objective of this study is to provide a more detailed understanding of protein films for applications in biosensing and bioseparations devices. During the tenure of this thirty-four month continuing grant, Professor Saavedra, a chemist, and Dr. Li, an optical scientist, will cooperatively apply polarized reflection spectroscopies, namely planar integrated optical waveguide-attenuated total reflection (IOW-ATR) and total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF), to the in situ characterization of the structure and function of cytochrome c and myoglobin films at the solid-liquid interface. This research addresses both the preparation of ordered, functional protein films and the development of analytical techniques appropriate to characterize these films. The successful development of a general methodology to self-organize proteins into oriented two-dimensional arrays would be highly useful for biotechnological applications. Also, this research should give rise to a clearer understanding of relationships between the structure of hydrated protein films and their macroscopic properties which should aid in protein film design and applications.