Electron Microscopy of Biological Macromolecules

描述（总体）（由申请人提供）：本计划项目代表了一个协调和相互支持的努力，以追求结构生物学的研究，其中电子衍射和电子显微镜起着关键作用，并推进技术，使这项研究成为可能。该计划中的三个项目代表了电子晶体学和显微镜方法的应用，以及该计划支持的仪器，以解决结构生物学中的具体问题。这些应用包括：微管蛋白的结构及其与影响微管细胞骨架动力学的配体和其他蛋白质的相互作用的研究；缩凝蛋白（负责染色质缩聚的蛋白质）的研究对小管蛋白中核苷酸水解后或抑制聚合的药物结合后发生的构象变化的研究此外，单独资助的研究项目依赖于该计划项目所支持的设备和设施，也被列入准成员项目。行政核心维持主要设备，支援电脑资源，并为计划计划的所有参与者提供一种知识社群和共同身份的感觉。

DESCRIPTION (OVERALL) (provided by applicant): This Program Project represents a coordinated and mutually supporting effort to pursue research in structural biology where electron diffraction and electron microscopy play a key role and to advance the technology that enables this research. Three projects within the Program represent applications of the methods of electron crystallography and microscopy, as well as of the instrumentation supported by the Program, to specific problems in structural biology. These applications include: Studies of the structure of tubulin and its interactions with ligands and other proteins that affect the dynamics of the microtubule cytoskeleton; Studies on condensins, proteins responsible for condensation of chromatin; Studies of the conformational changes that follow nucleotide hydrolysis in tubulin or that occur upon binding of drugs that inhibit polymerization. Additional, separately funded research projects which rely on equipment and facilities supported by the Program Project are also included as Associate member projects. The Administrative Core maintains the major equipment, supports computer resources, and provides a sense of intellectual community and common identity for all the participants in the Program Project.