This Major Research Instrumentation award funds the acquisition of a multifrequency cross-correlation phase and modulation fluorimeter at the University of Kentucky Center for Structural Biology. The fluorimeter is used to study the structure, stability and interactions of proteins and other biological macromolecules. Major experiments that will be performed with the fluorimeter include fluorescence resonance energy transfer, providing information on the distribution of distances between fluorophores attached to biomolecules, and anisotropy (polarization), to study interactions between biomolecules. Some of the molecules of interest in these studies include neurolysin, neuropeptidase, and nitroreductase. In addition, the instrument is available for use by investigators at other regional institutions and used in the annual Biofluorescence Symposium at the University of Kentucky. The results of these research and teaching efforts will be broadly disseminated through abstracts and peer reviewed publications, as well as by active participation of students and faculty at professional meetings.
This Major Research Instrument acquisition award (DBI-1039914) was for the purchase of an ISS K2 Phase and Modulation Fluorometer. This instrument measures fluorescence and is primarily used at the University of Kentucky for the study of interactions between biomolecules. The fluorometer has been, and is continuing to be, used by several research groups. For example, it is being used to study changes in structure that occur when two proteins interact, leading to an increased understanding of essential biological processes such as immune system regulation. In addition, it has been used to investigate interactions between RNA and small molecules, yielding data that can be used to develop new small molecules as tools for studying splicing of RNA molecules. Another research group is using the fluorometer to study interactions between proteins and DNA in chromatin in order to better determine the mechanisms by which genetic information is converted to functional biomolecules. The fluorometer provides the University of Kentucky with the ability to carry out state of the art fluorescence-based studies. Undergraduate and graduate students, as well as more advanced researchers, have been, and are being, trained in its use. Included among the trainees are undergraduate researchers participating in a NSF-funded REU site program in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky. Participants in this program are largely recruited from the impoverished Appalachian region and under-represented groups. These individuals are exposed to this instrumentation and develop expertise that would otherwise not be readily available to them. These trainees are consequently better poised to make significant contributions to science in the United States.
