This three-year award for US-UK cooperative research in physical experimental chemistry involves David W. Pratt of the University of Pittsburgh and W.G. Richards and J.P. Simons at Oxford University. The objective of their research is to study supramolecule assemblies of enzyme catalytic sites and bound substrates, including structure and properties of the supramolecule assemblies and interaction among its components. Enzyme and enzyme substrate mimics, designed to model the behavior of the enzymes, serine and cysteine proteases, will be studied in experiments using laser-based electronic spectroscopy and other techniques. They will also use the enzyme mimics to investigate selective binding of xenon at enzyme catalytic sites, thereby providing insight into its potential as a site specific stain in magnetic resonance imaging. The US investigator and his group bring to this collaboration expertise in characterization of enzyme structures using theoretical techniques. This is complemented by British expertise in enzyme mimic preparation and characterization using ab initio techniques. These studies will provide new information about molecular interactions which are responsible for enzyme function.
