This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities Program (CRIF) will assist the Department of Chemistry of SUNY at Stony Brook in acquiring a preparative ultracentrifuge. The areas of chemistry enhanced by the equipment include: (1) the design and characterization of new magnetic contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, (2) the synthesis of coenzyme A and palmitoyl-coenzyme A analogs, (3) the folding of the ribosomal protein L9 and of the E3/E1P domain, (4) the role of protein surface loops and hinges in the reactions catalyzed by triosephosphate isomerase and the interfacial enzyme cholesterol oxidase, (5) the binding site for fertilin-beta in its receptor, (6) the synthesis of polyfunctional organosilanes as inhibitors of aspartic and metalloproteases, (7) the study of the interfacial enzyme phospholipase D and (8) the spectroscopic analysis of the molecular forces leading to catalysis in the reactions catalyzed by enoyl-coenzyme A hydratase and enoyl-acp reductase. The instrument will also be used in two advanced undergraduate laboratories. Ultracentrifugation is a technique used mainly to aid in the isolation and purification of proteins. The capability of chemists to carry out cutting edge research in bioorganic chemistry demands access to state-of-the-art preparative ultracentrifuges.
