Collaborative Research: Resistance of Peptide Degradaton Products in Seawater

海洋系统中有机物的主要来源是光合微生物的原地初级生产。 产生的大部分有机质在水柱和沉积物中被矿化，但一小部分在成岩作用中幸存下来。 对全球碳和氮收支特别重要的是有机物固有的抗腐烂能力及其转化为难降解物质的能力，这两种能力都使有机物脱离反应性生物和非生物海洋循环。 然而，很少有人知道这种耐火的，大分子有机物的化学成分，或机制有助于其在成岩作用期间的阻力。来自纽约，斯托尼布鲁克和旧自治领大学的州立大学的科学家建议，以确定所观察到的分布的蛋白质，肽和氨基酸池在海洋环境中的生物和化学基础。 具体来说，他们计划比较肽的竞争化学，物理和生物反应的速率，以更好地了解海水中蛋白质物质的分布，循环和命运。通过使用最先进的分析方法（即，基质辅助激光解吸/电离质谱法-MALDI-MS、电喷雾质谱法与傅立叶变换离子回旋质谱法-ESIFTICR、2D核磁共振方法耦合），主要研究者计划合成生物感兴趣的肽并监测它们的产生和去除速率。这将导致在各种环境中的化学和生物损失机制的重要性，在光，pH值，营养物质和温度的变化的意见。关于更广泛的影响，这项研究的结果将使人们更好地了解有机物质对微生物的生物利用度、有机物质在水体中的可用性降低的机制以及有机物质是如何保存的。作为该项目的一部分，将支助和培训纽约斯托尼布鲁克的州立大学的一名研究生和一名本科生以及旧自治领大学的一名博士后和一名研究生。 该项目的成果和方法将纳入这两所大学的研究生和本科生教育和培训。

The principal source of organic matter in marine systems is from in situ primary production by photosynthetic microorganisms. The bulk of the produced organic matter is remineralized in the water column and sediments, but a small fraction survives diagenesis to be preserved. Of particular importance to global carbon and nitrogen budgets is organic matter's inherent resistance to decay and its transformation into refractory substances, both of which remove it from the reactive biotic and abiotic marine cycles. Little is known, however, about the chemical composition of this refractory, macromolecular organic matter, or mechanisms contributing to its resistance during diagenesis.Scientists from the State University of New York, Stony Brook and Old Dominion University propose to determine the biological and chemical basis for the observed distribution of protein, peptide, and amino acid pools in the marine environment. Specifically, they plan to compare the rates of competing chemical, physical, and biological reactions of peptides to gain a better understanding of the distribution, cycling, and fate of proteinaceous material in seawater. Through the use of state-of-the-art analytical methods (i.e., matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry-MALDI-MS, electrospray mass spectrometry coupled to Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry-ESI FTICR, 2D nuclear magnetic resonance approaches) the principle investigators plan to synthesize peptides of biological interest and monitor their rates of production and removal. This would lead to observations of the importance of chemical and biological loss mechanisms in various environments with respect to change in light, pH, nutrients, and temperature. As regards broader impacts, results from this study would provide a better understanding of the bioavailability of organic matter to microbes, the mechanisms where organic matter is rendered less available in the water column, and how organic matter is preserved. One graduate student and one undergraduate student from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and one postdoc and one graduate student from Old Dominion University would be supported and trained as part of this project. Results and methods from this project would be integrated into graduate and undergraduate education and training at both universities.