Structural investigations of protein self-assembly

我的研究目标是确定蛋白质如何结合形成复杂的分子机器，以及蛋白质如何在细胞内传递化学信号。我提出的研究计划分为三个主要项目：第一个项目研究蛋白质ClpX的自组装及其在细胞中降解或去除受损蛋白质中的作用。第二个项目研究SOX9蛋白以不同方式与DNA结合的能力。Sox9是男性性别决定过程中必不可少的蛋白质。第三个项目侧重于噬菌体病毒组装所涉及的蛋白质的原子水平和结构测定。所有拟议的项目都结合了分子、生物和生化技术，包括核磁共振光谱学。

The objective of my research is to determine how proteins combine to form complex molecular machines and how proteins transmit chemical signals throughout the cell. My proposed research program is divided into three major projects: The first project studies the self-assembly the protein ClpX and its role in the degradation, or removal, of damaged proteins in the cell. The second project studies the ability of the protein SOX9 to bind DNA in different ways. SOX9 is an essential protein in male sex determination. The third project focuses upon the atomic level, structural determination of proteins involved in bacteriophage viral assembly. All of the proposed projects draw upon a combination of molecular biological and biochemical techniques including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.