Encapsulation and Protein Stability

获得该奖项后，化学部的生命过程化学项目资助了北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校的Gary J.Pielak博士研究蛋白质在狭小空间中的行为。术语限制是指将蛋白质隔离在大致与蛋白质本身大小相同的空腔中。这就是许多蛋白质在细胞内发现自己的样子。这种限制会影响蛋白质和酶的行为。该项目正在确定限制如何影响蛋白质在合成、错误折叠、周转和运输过程中的行为。这一信息对酶稳定等工业应用非常重要。这项研究还通过与北卡罗来纳大学学者的拉丁裔倡议合作，扩大了对未被充分代表的本科生的研究。该项目正在确定限制(将蛋白质隔离在大致与蛋白质本身大小相同的空腔中)如何影响蛋白质在合成、错误折叠、周转和运输过程中的行为。这一信息对酶稳定等工业应用非常重要。这项研究是通过使用一种氟标记的、亚稳定的球状蛋白来完成的，该蛋白能够在独特的反胶束系统中进行可逆的两态折叠。~(19)F核磁共振不仅被用来估算自由能，而且还被用来估算展开的焓和熵。禁闭的结构影响也在评估中。

With this award, the Chemistry of Life Processes Program in the Chemistry Division funds Dr. Gary J. Pielak from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for studies on how proteins behave when "confined" to small spaces. The term confinement refers to isolation of the protein in a cavity roughly the size of the protein itself. This is how many proteins find themselves when inside of cells. Such confinement can affect the behavior of proteins and enzymes. The project is determining how confinement affects protein behavior during synthesis, misfolding, turnover and transport. This information is important to industrial applications such as enzyme stabilization. This research is also expanding efforts to reach underrepresented undergraduates by teaming up with the UNC Scholars' Latino Initiative.This project is determining how confinement (isolation of the protein in a cavity roughly the size of the protein itself) affects protein behavior during synthesis, misfolding, turnover and transport. This information is important to industrial applications such as enzyme stabilization. The research is being accomplished by using a fluorine-labeled, metastable globular protein capable of reversible two-state folding that is entrapped in a unique system of reverse micelles. 19F NMR is being used to assess not only the free energy, but also the enthalpy and the entropy of unfolding. Structural effects of confinement also are being assessed.