Characterization of Biomolecular Interactions at Interfaces Using Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy

获此奖项，生命过程化学学院将支持Elsa Yan教授和她的合作主任Victor Batista教授开发一种光学方法来表征界面处的蛋白质结构。界面蛋白质结构的表征对于理解与细胞膜相关的蛋白质的生物学功能非常重要。为满足生物技术的需要，开发生物材料和生物传感器也具有重要意义。然而，目前还缺乏能够同时提供界面和蛋白质二级结构选择性的实时和原位方法。为了弥补这一技术差距，本提案寻求将手性和频率产生（SFG）光谱建立为一种可靠的方法，用于原位和实时识别界面处的蛋白质二级结构。该项目预计将产生更广泛的科学影响，因为它可能会导致研究界面上其他手性大分子的相关方法，包括天然生物聚合物（例如DNA和RNA）和合成聚合物以及界面上的超分子组装。该方法提供了不受水溶液和非手性溶质光学背景影响的蛋白质二级结构的光学特征。本研究采用定量物理方法研究生物分子系统，并将其纳入主要研究者在教室和实验室进行的教育活动中。这些活动针对高中、本科、研究生和博士后水平的学生，为他们提供生物和物理科学界面的多学科培训。

With this award, the Chemistry of Life Processes is supporting Professor Elsa Yan and her co-PI, Professor Victor Batista, to develop an optical method to characterize protein structures at interfaces. Characterization of protein structures at interfaces is important for understanding biological functions of proteins associated with cell membranes. It is also important for developing biomaterials and biosensors to meet the needs in biotechnology. However, there has been a lack of real-time and in situ method that can provide selectivity of both interface and protein secondary structures. To bridge this technological gap, this proposal seeks to establish chiral sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy into a robust method for unambigiuous identification of protein secondary structures in situ and in real time at interfaces. The project is expected to have broader scientific impact as it may lead to related approaches to study other chiral macromolecules at interfaces, including native biopolymers (e.g., DNA and RNA) and synthetic polymers and supramolecular assemblies at interfaces. The method provides optical signatures of protein secondary structures free of optical background from aqueous solvent and achiral solutes. The proposed research applies quantitative physical methods to study biomolecular systems, which is incorporated into the education activities conducted by the principle investigator both in classrooms and laboratories. These activities target students at the levels of high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral, providing them multidisciplinary training at the interface of biological and physical sciences.