Research Initiation Award: Microwave Synthesis of Imidazole Compounds to Investigate Allosteric Binding to VCP

研究启动奖为传统黑人学院和大学的初级和中期职业教师提供支持，他们正在建立新的研究项目或重新指导和重建现有的研究项目。预计该奖项将(1)进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，(2)改善本国机构的研究和教学，以及(3)让更多来自代表性不足群体的本科生参与研究经验。鲍威州立大学是一所历史悠久的黑人学院/大学（HBCU），该项目旨在研究某些酶蛋白的变构结合物的结构要求，这些酶蛋白维持哺乳动物、酵母和植物细胞中的蛋白质稳态。该项目将计算化学和生物学与模拟实验相结合。此外，它的设计包括本科生和高中生作为积极的研究人员。协作和指导将贯穿整个项目。PI将与乔治敦大学的另一名研究人员合作，而本科生将在PI的指导下担任高中生的导师。VCP是一种在泛素蛋白酶体系统（UPS）中起主要作用的atp酶。UPS负责通过蛋白酶体降解未折叠的蛋白质，以减轻细胞压力。一旦被泛素标记，VCP将蛋白质从内质网转运到细胞质中。VCP结合物已被证明会引起泛素化蛋白的积累，最终导致细胞死亡。当该系统被用来避免细胞凋亡时，这是有利的。六元环杂环已被证明是atp竞争的结合物，因此是非选择性的。五元环杂环与VCP的变构位点结合，具有高度选择性。然而，目前还不清楚变构粘合剂的结构要求是什么。我们提出通过微波辅助多组分反应合成咪唑类化合物，以获得具有多种取代图的各种咪唑类化合物。这些化合物将被测试，并最终帮助确定与VCP变构结合的结构要求。我们还将测量这些咪唑对VCP活性和细胞死亡的影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award will (1) further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, (2) improve research and teaching at the home institution, and (3) engage more undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in research experiences. The project from Bowie State University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), seeks to study the structural requirements for allosteric binders to certain enzymatic proteins that maintain protein homeostasis in mammalian, yeast, and plant cells. The project integrates computational chemistry and biology with analogous bench research. In addition, it is designed to include undergraduate and high school students as active researchers. Collaboration and mentorship will take place throughout the project. The PI will collaborate with another researcher at Georgetown University, while the undergraduates will serve as mentors to the high school students under the supervision of the PI. VCP is an ATPase which plays a major role in the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). The UPS is responsible for degrading unfolded proteins through the proteasome in order to relieve cellular stress. Once tagged with ubiquitin, VCP translocates the proteins from the ER to the cytosol. VCP binders have been shown to cause an accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins which ultimately leads to cell death. This is favorable when the system is being exploited to avoid apoptosis. Six-membered ring heterocycles have been shown to act as ATP-competitive binders and are therefore unselective. Five-membered ring heterocycles bind to an allosteric site of VCP and are highly selective. However, it is unclear what the structural requirements for allosteric binders are. We propose the synthesis of imidazole compounds through a microwave-assisted multicomponent reaction in order to access a variety of imidazole compounds with numerous substitution patterns. These compounds will be tested and ultimately help define the structural requirements for allosteric binding to VCP. We will also measure the effect of these imidazoles on VCP activity and cell death.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.