CAREER: Developing Peptide Amphiphiles into Next-Generation Electronic Materials and Model Systems to Study Protein Functions

非技术摘要： 该聚合研究项目旨在创造新的先进技术，以满足对更快，更小，更高效的集成电路日益增长的需求，通过利用基于蛋白质的纤维（称为“PA”）进行更有效的电子传输。这些工作的结果将为具有先进电路特性和功能的新一波电子材料打开大门，使每天使用的许多电子产品，如手机，电视和微波炉变得更加高效，紧凑和强大。目前，在一个简单的电子系统中，导线的唯一功能是作为晶体管或开关之间电子的高速公路。该项目将创建一种新型电子产品，其中包含由生物基PA材料制成的电线。这种新的“生物导线”不仅仅是一个连接器，而是电路的一个有源组件，在处理信息的同时引导组件之间的电子流。这具有重要的实用价值，因为额外的功能将使我们能够缩小规模，减少元件和晶体管，同时节省功耗和成本。教育部分旨在通过培训科学家积极参与科学政策，为科学家利用其专业知识影响全球范围的变化开辟一条道路。通过课程和实习的结合在联邦政府的学生将看到他们的科学是如何被用来改善人们的生活，以及他们如何可以利用自己的技术专长，以帮助政府更有效地实现其目标。该奖项将支持PI（早期职业科学家和前AAAS科学和技术政策研究员）的职业和培训，以及从高中到研究生水平的各种科学学科的学生。PI和他的团队还将通过乔治梅森竞争激烈的有抱负的科学家暑期实习计划指导当地的本科生和高中生，将新一代的学生与实验室科学联系起来。该项目的组成部分将涉及生物化学，物理，工程和政策，为学生提供一个全面的培训制度。技术摘要：所罗门小组建议使用肽两亲物（PAs）研究生物电子传递，这是一个主机的功能，从矿物循环到生物修复。目前还没有足够的仿生模型系统来研究这些过程，但需要一个系统来分离驱动这些功能的核心化学和生物物理原理。PA是连接到脂质尾部的短肽，脂质尾部伸展成长纤维结构并结合天然辅因子血红素B。由于其简单的结构和聚合特性，微小的变化被放大，核心生物物理原理很容易观察到，其合成特性允许在非自然环境中利用这些功能。第一个目标集中在肽上，改变氨基酸序列来测量不同的辅因子环境如何影响电子传递。目标二将集中在脂质，这将是修改，使这些PA纤维可以自组装成离散的部分，导致电化学界面和梯度。在目标三中，血红素将被其他氧化还原辅因子取代以赋予新的电化学功能。结合这些目标的结果将产生多功能PA纤维，可以揭示许多生物电子传递功能的核心生物物理方面。此外，这些材料将被开发成包含决策肽成分和过程信息的电线，这可能导致具有改进计算能力的新型生物电路。所罗门博士的教育部分旨在为研究生制定科学政策课程。该证书课程将围绕演讲材料的组合来解释政府的运作和实习组成部分，学生将他们的科学训练直接应用到政策制定过程。该计划将提高学生对他们的工作如何融入联邦政策的理解，并通过为办公室提供目前无法获得的技术专长来改善政府。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non Technical Abstract: This convergent research project seeks to create new advanced technologies to address the increasing demand for faster, smaller, more efficient integrated circuits by utilizing a protein-based fiber (termed a “PA”) for more effective electron transport. The results of such work will open the door for a new wave of electronic materials with advanced circuitry characteristics and capabilities, allowing many of the electronics used each day such as cell phones, televisions, and microwaves to become more efficient, compact, and powerful. Currently, in a simple electronic system, the wire’s only function is to serve as the highway for electrons between transistors or switches. This project will create a new type of electronics containing wires made from the biologically-based PA materials. Rather than just serve as a connector, this new ‘biological wire’ would be an active component of the circuit, directing electron flow between components while also processing information. This is of significant practical value as the additional functionality would allow us to scale down, reducing components and transistors, while saving power and costs. The educational component seeks to develop a pathway for scientists to use their expertise to affect change on a global scale by training them to be active in science-policy. Through a combination of coursework and internships within the federal government students will see how their science is used to improve people’s lives and how they can use their technical expertise to help the government more effectively carry out its goals. The award will support the careers and training of the PI (an early career scientist and former AAAS Science and Technology Policy fellow), and a diverse cross-section of students from high school through graduate level of study across various scientific disciplines. The PI and his group will also mentor local undergraduate and high school students through George Mason's highly competitive Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program, connecting a new generation of students to bench science. The project’s components will involve biochemistry, physics, engineering and policy, providing students with a thorough training regime.Technical Abstract: The Solomon group proposes to use Peptide Amphiphiles (PAs) to study biological electron transport, which underlies a host of functions from mineral cycling to bioremediation. No sufficient biomimetic model systems exist to study these processes, but one is needed to isolate the core chemical and biophysical principles that drive these functions. PAs are short peptides connected to a lipid tail that polymerize into long fiber structures and bind the natural cofactor heme B. Due to their simple structure and polymeric character, minute changes are amplified and the core biophysical principles are readily observable, and their synthetic character allows those functions to be exploited in non-natural contexts. Aim one focuses on the peptide; the amino-acid sequence will be changed to measure how different cofactor environments affect electron transport. Aim two will focus on the lipid, which will be modified such that these PA fibers can self-assemble into discrete sections leading to electrochemical interfaces and gradients. In aim three, heme will be replaced with other redox cofactors to impart new electrochemical functions. Combining the results of these aims will produce a multifunctioning PA fiber that can uncover the core biophysical aspects of many biological electron transport functions. Additionally, these materials will be developed into electrical wires that incorporate decision-making peptide components and process information, which could lead to new types of bio circuitry with improved computing power. Dr. Solomon’s educational component aims to develop a science-policy curriculum for graduate students. This certificate program will be built around a combination of lecture material to explain the workings of the government and an internship component where students will apply their scientific training directly to the policy making process. This program will improve student’s understanding of how their work can be integrated into federal policy and improve the government by seeding offices with technical expertise not currently available.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.