Partial funding for a microprocessor-controlled, variable- temperature, recording circular dichroism spectrometer is requested. The instrument will be supervised on a daily basis by the Principal Investigator (Michael Y. Ogawa) who will use it to determine the conformational behavior of synthetic polypepties derivatized for electron-transfer studies. The instrument will also be used extensively by the co-Principal Investigator (N. B. Leontis) to monitor the conformational behavior of novel nucleic acid structures such as three-way DNA and RNA junctions and their interactions with intercalating ligands. In addition, the instrument will be used by George Bullerjahn in the Department of Biological Sciences at BGSU to monitor structural transitions in photosynthetic membranes. Minor projects from other users in the Department of Chemistry at both BGSU and the University of Toledo are also described. There is no comparable instrumentation available in Northwest Ohio.
