This award supports the acquisition of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) to be used in biophysical research at the University of Texas, Brownsville. The equipment can operate in different modes suitable for imaging of biological and non-biological materials at atomic resolution, and for measuring forces at the pico-Newton scale. Acquisition of the SPM system will enable faculty to develop several new and unique research projects in spectroscopy of single biomolecules. The instrumentation will be used to study overstretched DNA conformations, and the interaction of DNA with several DNA-binding proteins. Other SPM-based projects will focus on protein-protein interactions involved in intracellular signaling. These studies will advance our understanding of the involvement of proteins in signaling and regulation of cellular functions. Acquisition of the system will also create an experimental base for undergraduate and graduate research projects. Via demonstrational modules, the system will be introduced to physics and biology majors, as well as high school science teachers and their students.
