The overall goal of the Structural Biology Core is to facilitate the preparation and molecular characterization of macromolecules of importance to alcohol research. This will be accomplished by assisting researchers in: (1) the cloning or synthesis of cDNAs, cloning of cDNAs into expression vectors, bacterial or yeast fermentation, and the purification of recombinant proteins to homogeneity, (2) the determination of protein or DNA sequence and/or molecular structure by X-ray crystallography or fluorescence, (3) the synthesis of polypeptide antigens for antibody production, and (4) the determination of ligand binding and/or enzyme catalytic rates by stopped-flow kinetics. Researchers in the Center have considerable experience with the above techniques and the purpose of the Core is to provide this expertise to other researchers in the Center (and the alcohol research community at large). The Core will also facilitate access to shared equipment in Center researcher's laboratories, the Biochemistry Biotechnology Facility, and the X-ray Crystallography Facility necessary for preparation of recombinant proteins and analysis of their structure. A major focus of the Center is to elucidate genes that affect alcohol metabolism, alcohol drinking behavior, and alcoholism. It is from structural and biochemical studies of the protein products of these genes that we will gain a greater understanding of the functional effects that polymorphisms may have on alcoholism.
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