STEM Mass Mapping & Heavy Atom Labeling of Biomolecules

描述(摘自本申请)：Brookaven STEM(扫描传输电子显微镜)资源为单个生物分子的质量测绘和重原子标记提供独特的服务。对于病毒或细胞器大小的蛋白质或复合体，STEM的质量分辨率为0.5%至5%，以低剂量成像。我们已经开发了重原子标记来标记分子复合体整体轮廓中的特定位置或亚单位。核心研发计划寻求在四个领域推进最先进的技术：1)用于重要生物应用的新的重原子团簇标记试剂，2)在低温电子显微镜/STEM中使用冷冻水合样品开发质量图谱，3)改进质量/图像分析以提供更多特征，以及4)STEM仪器开发以改进性能并增加新功能。这四个方面都应该提高用户搜索结果的质量和数量。 随着我们开发新的标记方法并改进标本准备、成像和图像分析，我们建议继续扩大我们的生产性用户/合作者计划。目前有40至50个项目活跃在以下领域：蛋白质和蛋白质复合体、细丝和丝状蛋白质、膜和膜蛋白质、DNA、RNA和核酸/蛋白质复合体、病毒蛋白质、病毒结构、细胞器，特别是细丝和病毒组装领域。平均每年新增项目25个。预计所有项目都将在最高质量的期刊上发表文章。STEM咨询委员会在新项目的规划、质量控制和开发方面发挥着不可或缺的作用。 培训和传播将继续使用科学出版物、会议、讲习班、小册子、我们的网站，并扩大到包括一个新的用于培训和额外讲习班的ftp网站。 事实证明，布鲁克海文STEM对许多研究人员来说是一种宝贵的资源，我们期待着为科学界提供一个更强大、更有用的设施，这是美国其他地方无法提供的。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Application): The Brookhaven STEM (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy) Resource provides a unique service for mass mapping and heavy atom labeling of individual biological molecules. The STEM achieves mass resolution of 0.5 to 5% for proteins or complexes as large as viruses or cell organelles, imaged at low dose. We have developed heavy atom labels to mark specific sites or subunits within the overall contour of molecular complexes. The Core R&D program seeks to advance the state-of-the-art in four areas: 1) new heavy atom cluster labeling reagents for important biological applications, 2) development of mass mapping using frozen-hydrated specimens in the Cryo TEM/STEM, 3) mass/image analysis improvements to provide additional features, and 4) STEM instrumentation development to improve performance and add new capabilities. All four should enhance the quality & quantity of users' results. We propose to continue to expand our productive user/collaborator program as we develop new labeling methods and improve specimen preparation, imaging, and image analysis. Currently 40 to 50 projects are active in the areas of: proteins and protein complexes, filaments and filamentous proteins, membranes and membrane proteins, DNA, RNA and nucleic acid/protein complexes, viral proteins, virus structure, cell organelles, and in particular the fields of filament and virus assembly. An average of 25 new projects are added each year. All projects are expected to lead to publications in the highest quality journals. The STEM Advisory Committee plays an integral role in planning, quality control and development of new projects. Training and dissemination will continue using scientific publications, meetings, workshops, brochures, our web site, and expanded to include a new FTP site for training and additional workshops. The Brookhaven STEM has proven to be a valuable resource to many investigators, and we look forward to providing an even stronger and more useful Facility to the scientific community, which is not available elsewhere in the U.S.