COBRE on Membrane Protein Production and Characterization

我们建议继续COBRE关于膜蛋白生产和表征的研究， 特拉华州大学作为第三阶段COBRE基础设施中心。膜蛋白的关键作用 在生物学上的重要性清楚地反映在这样一个事实上，即它们占人类基因组的30%以上， 超过50%的治疗药物。然而，在生产方面仍然存在重大挑战， 并对它们进行表征，尤其是在结构生物学领域。因此， COBRE的研究将是表达、溶解、纯化和结晶膜蛋白;确定 它们的结构;并在分子水平和更大的生物系统中表征它们的功能， 健康和疾病。这些目标是一致的结构生物学组成部分， NIH路线图和蛋白质结构倡议，以解决一个至关重要的领域， 生物医学研究 该基础设施中心将补充一个多学科小组实验室的研究， 十几个PI，他们的工作是独立支持的。为此，该中心将包括： 仪器核心（蛋白质表达和生物物理表征;结构生物学;和一组 与特拉华州INBRE等共同出资的核心设施）;继续当前的试点 研究子项目计划;以NIH T32机制为模型的博士前培训计划;以及 继续现有的年度专题讨论会系列。该中心的管理将由一个 内部指导委员会，并将继续受益于外部咨询委员会的投入， 包括审查试点项目提案。COBRE内部的研究加上 基础设施中心提供的服务将继续为特拉华州大学提供独特的优势， 对生物学和生物医学至关重要的研究领域。

We propose to continue the COBRE on Membrane Protein Production and Characterization at the University of Delaware as a Phase III COBRE infrastructure center. The critical role of membrane proteins in biology is clearly reflected in the fact that they represent >30% of the human genome and are the targets of >50% of all therapeutics on the market today. Nevertheless, significant challenges remain in producing and characterizing them, especially within the realm of structural biology. Consequently the objectives of research in the COBRE will be to express, solubilize, purify and crystallize membrane proteins; to determine their structures; and to characterize their functions at the molecular level and in larger biological systems in both health and disease. These objectives are congruent with those of the Structural Biology component of the NIH Roadmap and the Protein Structure Initiative in addressing an area of critical importance for biomedical research. The infrastructure center will complement research in the laboratories of an interdisciplinary group of more than a dozen PIs, whose work is independently supported. To this end the center will include: research and instrumentation cores (Protein Expression and Biophysical Characterization; Structural Biology; and a group of Core Facilities co-funded with, among others, the Delaware INBRE); continuation of the current pilot research subproject program; a predoctoral training program modeled on the NIH T32 mechanism; and continuation of the existing annual symposium series. The administration of the center will be guided by an internal Steering Committee and will continue to benefit from the input of an External Advisory Committee, including for review of pilot project proposals. The research within the COBRE coupled with the capabilities provided by the infrastructure center will continue to give the University of Delaware distinctive strength in an area of research critical to biology and biomedicine.