A request is made for a peptide synthesis facility. This facility would include an A430 Applied Biosystems peptide synthesizer and a Waters Amino Acid Analyzer. The Waters Amino Acid Analyzer is capable of serving the dual function of analyzing the finished product of the synthesizer and purifying the product. Four core users, all recipients of grants from the National Institutes of Health from the Departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Zoology and Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology plan to use this facility approximately 85% of the available time. The remainder of the time the facility will be made available to other investigators. Potential users of the facility are in the Departments of Chemistry, Microbiology, Zoology and Biochemistry and Biophysics at Iowa State University. The justification for the replacement of the existing older equipment is outlined in this proposal. The projects proposed are directly related to research presently supported by the National Institutes of Health and include studies on (1) Enzyme Catalyzed Covalent Modification Reactions of Synthetic Peptides; (2) Physiological and Pharmacological Studies of Peptides in the Rat Spinal Dorsal Horn; (3) Studies of Proteins Induced by Growth Regulators; and (4) Biological Active Fragments of EGF, Acidic FGF, and Basic FGT and their Effects on Receptor Binding, Gene Expression, and DNA Synthesis. Future success in the life sciences and biotechnology at Iowa State depends to a large extent on strengthening present interactions and fostering new ones across the university. The acquisition of this facility will aid enormously individual programs and its operation should bring together individuals from various scientific disciplines who have an interest in peptide and protein chemistry.
