This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
With this award from the Major Research and Instrumentation (MRI) program, Professors Zerong D. Wang, Lory Z. Santiago-Vazquez and Chunlong Zhang from the University of Houston at Clear Lake will acquire a liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LC-TOF-MS) equipped with an electrospray ionization source (ESI). The instrumentation will support their research in the development of nucleoside analogs that may lead to potential anticancer and anti-HIV drugs, the design of remediation systems to support a green and sustainable environment, and the production of marine natural products with biological activity. Seven other faculty members at the University of Houston-Clear Lake will benefit in their studies of proteins and nucleic acids as well as organic and organometallic compounds.
Mass spectrometry (MS) is used to identify the chemical composition of a sample by measuring the mass of the molecular constituents in the sample after they are ionized and detected by the mass spectrometer. The chromatography inlet will provide separation of complex mixtures before each component is analyzed. The time of flight mass analyzer has high sensitivity and mass accuracy to assist the analyses and interpretation of the resultant data. By using the LC/MS in research and laboratory courses, students will gain valuable experience with this modern instrument in a variety of applications across the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and environmental sciences.
have been able to analyze the structures of peptides directly formed from amino acids in aqueous solution, 2-thiohydantoin-containing acyclic nucleoside analogs, characterize the components of commercial dispersants (a type of surfactants) used to clean up oil spills, detect residual pharmaceutical chemicals and other non-target analytes in sewage treatment plants, and analyze prostaglandins produced by soft coral gorgonians. Without this instrument, many of these research projects would not have been possible. For example, peptides formed in aqueous solution are very difficult to analyze with GC/MS system due to peptides’ high boiling points and very low solubility in common organic solvents. LC/MS-TOF is the perfect tool for analyzing water-soluble molecules while providing precise measurement of molecular weights as well as the composition of sample solution. The study of dispersant compositions enables us to better understand their environmental impact as well as their interactions with spilled gasoline, including the BTEX compounds (abbreviation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) that are notorious due to the contamination of surface water, soil and groundwater Finally, the LC/MS-TOF can quantify small changes in prostaglandin production, allowing us to hypothesize their physiological function during coral stress. More importantly, the LC/MS-TOF provides us a tool to annually train about 10 graduate and undergraduate students., These students have been involved in research projects either conducting thesis work or independent studies. More than six students are minority students including female students. This funded project has resulted in several research presentations in conferences, published papers in peer-reviewed journals, and several manuscripts in preparation to be submitted for publication.
