With this award from the Chemistry Major Research Instrumentation Program, Professor Christopher Mulligan from Illinois State University (ISU) and colleagues Michael Byrns, T. Mitchell, Brian Brennan and Rachel Bowden will acquire a high resolution liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). The proposal is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) embryonic regulation of the endocrine environment via the sulfotransferase-sulfatase pathway in an oviparous vertebrate; (b) detection of steroid hormones in treated sewage flowing through a constructed wetland; (c) natural products inspired organic synthesis; (d) peptidic and peptidomemetric therapeutics; (e) studies of the enzyme phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase; (f) molecular mechanisms regulating cytoskeleton organization in plant cells; (g) roles of microtubule-associated proteins in plant cell expansion; and (h) biomimetic studies of gold-based metallopharmaceuticals.
Mass Spectrometry (MS) is one of the key analytical methods used to identify and characterize small quantities of chemical species embedded in complex matrices. In a typical experiment, the components flow into a mass spectrometer where they are ionized into the parent ion and its fragment ions and their masses are measured. This highly sensitive technique allows detection and determination of the structure of molecules in a complex mixture. An instrument with tandem capability provides additional structural identification power through further fragmentation of ions produced in the spectrometer. Several project personnel have secondary interests in chemical education research and, through on-site LC-MS/MS access, will develop discovery-based laboratory curricula incorporating concepts in proteomics and natural product-inspired organic synthesis. Extensive, hands-on experiences provided to undergraduates from this acquisition will better prepare these students for careers in science and further graduate studies. The ISU Department of Chemistry also regularly participates and directs nationally-funded undergraduate education initiatives. Examples of recent/current efforts include the nationally-recognized American Chemical Society Project SEED (Summer Experience for Economically Disadvantaged high school students) program, an NSF-funded Undergraduate Research Center, which provided summer research experiences for City Colleges of Chicago students with ISU Chemistry mentors, and faculty participation in the ISU chapter of the NSF-sponsored Lewis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program.
