Molecular Scale Study of Peptide Interaction with Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

化学系的环境化学科学（ECS）计划将支持教授的研究计划。麦迪逊的威斯康星州大学的Joel Pedersen和Robert Hamers。教授Pedersen和Hamers及其学生将研究定义明确的肽与金属氧化物纳米颗粒的相互作用，作为深入了解纳米颗粒如何与蛋白质相互作用的第一步。二氧化钛和氧化铝将被用作研究的模型系统。本研究的具体目标是：（一）使用发现工具（噬菌体展示方法）来鉴定短肽序列中的结合基序（七肽），其导致对环境相关的纳米颗粒的高亲和力;（ii）研究肽与TiO 2和Al 2 O 3纳米颗粒结合的热力学和动力学，使用通过噬菌体展示方法鉴定的结合序列和四肽中氨基酸的简单组合来阐明结合规则;以及（iii）通过结合实验和计算方法来鉴定与纳米颗粒相互作用的肽官能团并理解肽-表面键的性质。这项研究的结果将是对控制肽与金属氧化物纳米颗粒相互作用的分子水平相互作用的基本理解。肽序列、纳米颗粒组成和结构以及溶液组成等因素如何影响肽-纳米颗粒相互作用的知识，将为最终控制纳米材料对环境安全和健康影响的物理和化学过程提供见解。该项目将为希望了解纳米材料与生物系统之间界面的研究生和本科生提供出色的教育机会。

The Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS) program of the Division of Chemistry will support the research program of Profs. Joel Pedersen and Robert Hamers of University of Wisconsin, Madison. Profs. Pedersen and Hamers and their students will investigate the interaction of well-defined peptides with metal oxide nanoparticles as a first step toward a deeper understanding of how nanoparticles interact with proteins. Titanium dioxide and aluminum oxide will be used as model systems for investigation. The specific aims of the study are: (i) employ discovery tools (phage-display methods) to identify binding motifs in short peptide sequences (heptapeptides) that lead to high affinity for nanoparticles of environmental relevance; (ii) investigate the thermodynamics and kinetics of peptide binding to TiO2 and Al2O3 nanoparticles, using both binding sequences identified via phage-display methods and simpler combinations of amino acids in tetrapeptides to elucidate binding rules; and (iii) identify the peptide functional groups that interact with the nanoparticles and understand the nature of peptide-surface bonds by combining experimental with computational methods. The outcome of this research will be a fundamental understanding of the molecular level interactions that control the interactions of peptides with metal oxide nanoparticles. Knowledge of how factors such as peptide sequence, nanoparticle composition and structure, and solution composition affect peptide-nanoparticle interactions will provide insights into the physical and chemical processes that ultimately control the environmental safety and health impacts of nanomaterials. The project will provide outstanding educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students desiring to understand the interface between nanomaterials and biological systems.