We are currently studying two biological structures: crystalline actin sheets and the Sendai virus nucleocapsid. The purpose of the first project is to determine the molecular structure of actin to at least 10 A resolution. The crucial prerequisite for the realization of this project is the existence of highly ordered thin crystalline sheets of actin prepared by dialysis of G-actin against gadolinium ions.
The specific aims are: To obtain 3-dimensional model of actin to 15 A resolution, determined from electron micrographs from tilted views of negatively stained preparations of crystalline actin sheets, and to find the orientation of the actin molecule within the actin filament by computationally aligning the model obtained from actin sheets with the model derived from paracrystals of actin filaments. The nucleocapsids of enveloped viruses are structures of major importance both as model-systems for the study of the synthesis and transport of proteins within cells, and in their own right as vital components of pathogenic viruses. The purpose of our project is to study the structure of the Sendai virus nucleocapsid.
We aim to determine the geometrical packing of protein within the nucleocapsid and the location of the single RNA strand.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01GM026723-08S1
Application #
3274121
Study Section
Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry B Study Section (BBCB)
Project Start
1979-07-01
Project End
1988-03-31
Budget Start
1987-08-01
Budget End
1988-03-31
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
New York University
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
004514360
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10012
Mohraz, M; Smith, P R (1988) Three-dimensional structure of Na,K-ATPase and a model for the oligomeric form and the mechanism of the Na,K pump. Prog Clin Biol Res 268A:99-106
Mohraz, M; Simpson, M V; Smith, P R (1987) The three-dimensional structure of the Na,K-ATPase from electron microscopy. J Cell Biol 105:1-8
van Oostrum, J; Smith, P R; Mohraz, M et al. (1987) The structure of the adenovirus capsid. III. Hexon packing determined from electron micrographs of capsid fragments. J Mol Biol 198:73-89
Mohraz, M; Yee, M; Smith, P R (1986) Structural studies of Na,K-ATPase. Ann N Y Acad Sci 483:131-9
van Oostrum, J; Smith, P R; Mohraz, M et al. (1986) Interpretation of electron micrographs of adenovirus hexon arrays using a crystallographic molecular model. J Ultrastruct Mol Struct Res 96:77-90
Buhle Jr, E L; Aebi, U; Smith, P R (1985) Correlation of surface topography of metal-shadowed specimens with their negatively stained reconstructions. Ultramicroscopy 16:436-50
Mohraz, M; Yee, M; Smith, P R (1985) Novel crystalline sheets of Na,K-ATPase induced by phospholipase A2. J Ultrastruct Res 93:17-26