The research objectives of several different laboratories at the University of Iowa require the use of large quantities of cells. Projects include: 1) Purification and study of novel coenzymes and enzymes of the methane producing bacteria, 2) elucidation of metabolic pathways in methanogens involved both in biosynthetic and energy producing functions, 3) X-ray crystallography of nucleic acid-protein interactions, 4) enzyme structure-function studies on alcohol dehydrogenase, 5) regulation of transcription of yeast genes, and structure-function studies of yeast RNA polymerase, 6) physiology of the Legionnaire's disease bacterium and 7) production and biotransformation of pharmacologically active natural products. Funds are requested for a large-scale fermentation facility to grow the needed quantities of microbes. The facility will also be available for use by collaborators from other universities. Many of the projects have direct health relatedness (e.g. Legionnaire's disease and pharmacology) and all are indirectly related. Also, most of the applicants are in the College of Medicine at Iowa. The techniques to be used in the proposed studies cover virtually every subdiscipline of biochemistry, microbiology, genetics and molecular biology. The availability of a large fermentor facility is essential for the reasonable, safe and efficient preparation of a variety of microorganisms. This instrumentation will be a lasting asset for the university community, and will make feasible a variety of experiments that could not otherwise be attempted.
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