With the support of a Research in Undergraduate Institutions award from the Organic Synthesis Program and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, Professor Karin S. Akerfeldt, of the Department of Chemistry at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Camden Campus, carries out the synthesis and analysis of ion channel forming peptides. Structurally well-defined artificial proton selective channels are synthesized as models to study the fundamental mechanisms involved in proton transport. The models are designed to form amphiphilic alpha helices which, in a membrane and in the presence of an applied electrical field, self-associate to form conducting helix bundles. Following design of suitable peptide sequences to allow convenient handling, covalently linked dimers of the designed sequences are prepared to probe the factors influencing channel stability, while incorporation of norvaline derivatives into specific positions of the sequences permits evaluation of their effects on the packing properties of the peptides. Membrane channels, permitting the transport of ions or small molecules, constitute one of the critical modes of communication across cell membranes. In addition, they are critical in cell regulation and mediate all electrical excitability of the nervous and muscle systems. Professor Karin S. Akerfeldt, of the Department of Chemistry at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Camden Campus, with the support of a Research in Undergraduate Institutions award from the Organic Synthesis Program and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, prepares comparatively small model polypeptides designed to serve as transmembrane ion channels. Through the synthesis and study of these model compounds, Professor Akerfeldt explores various factors influencing the flow of ions across membranes. These factors are difficult to explore with the naturally occurring channel-forming peptides given their complexity, instability in the absence of membranes, and often limited availability in significant quantities.
