U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science: Early Events of Protein Folding

0089286 Gruebele该奖项支持伊利诺伊大学香槟分校的Martin Gruebele教授和日本关西医科大学的Hiroshi Kihara教授之间为期三年的合作研究项目。 研究人员将对蛋白质折叠的早期事件进行研究。 这项研究将汇集来自两国的实验学家和理论家，研究三种蛋白质折叠过程中的早期事件：apomyoglobin，一种泛素突变体和β-乳球蛋白。 他们的努力将结合起来，以延长折叠相图的低温和高粘度条件。 理论家们将从最早的实验阶段开始全面参与这个项目。 这项研究将通过在广泛的外部条件下探索能源景观来拓宽我们对折叠的认识。 在非常低的温度和高粘度下，非常快的折叠事件将大大减慢，并将研究动力学对外部条件的依赖性。 最近开发的理论模型将被用来模拟这些条件，实验数据将允许在理论中的参数被约束。 待研究的蛋白质样品包括α、α/β和大多数β蛋白质。 该项目汇集了两个具有互补专业知识和研究能力的实验室的努力。美国研究人员提供T-跳跃/荧光专业知识，而日本研究人员在筑波光子工厂提供X射线散射专业知识。 本研究通过研究生的参与促进国际人力资源。 通过交流思想和技术，该项目将扩大我们的基础知识，促进国际理解与合作。 研究人员计划在科学期刊上发表研究结果，并在科学会议上报告研究结果。

0089286GruebeleThis award supports a three-year collaborative research project between Professor Martin Gruebele of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Professor Hiroshi Kihara of the Kansai Medical University in Japan. The researchers will be undertaking a study of the early event of protein folding. The research will bring together experimentalists and theorists from both countries to study early events during the folding of three proteins: apomyoglobin, a ubiquitin mutant, and beta-lactoglobulin. Their efforts will be combined to extend the folding phase diagram to low temperature and high viscosity conditions. The theorists will be fully involved in the project beginning with the earliest experimental stages. The research will broaden our knowledge of folding by exploring the energy landscape under a wide range of external conditions. At very low temperatures and high viscosity very fast folding events will be slowed down considerably and the dependence of the kinetics on external conditions will be studied. Recently developed theoretical models will be used to simulate these conditions, and the experimental data will allow parameters in the theory to be constrained. The proteins to be studied sample a wide class of alpha, alpha/beta and mostly beta proteins. The project brings together the efforts of two laboratories that have complementary expertise and research capabilities. The U.S. researchers provide T-jump/fluorescence expertise, while the Japanese provide expertise in X-ray scattering at the Tsukuba Photon Factory. This research advances international human resources through the participation of a graduate student. Through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of basic knowledge and promote international understanding and cooperation. The researchers plan to publish results of the research in scientific journals and report on the findings at scientific meetings.