Inhibitor Binding Impact on Protein Motions: Solvent Exchange Measurements
Looking for a hands-on experimentalist to reveal the physical underpinnings of biocatalysis. Curious molecular biologists to engineering physicists welcome!
Project description
Proteins are the machines of life, however the role of their unique structures in biological function is still not understood. In this project we will determine how enzyme structural dynamics contribute to substrate binding. Students will grow and characterize protein crystals using the newly patented method, anisotropic terahertz microscopy. Through these studies we will map out the vibrations for free and inhibitor bound lysozyme.
Project outcome
Results will be presented at professional conferences (i.e., American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, Biophysical Society, etc.) as either a poster or oral presentation. Students are encouraged to write a senior thesis based on their research for graduation with honors designation. Previous undergraduates have published their work in peer reviewed journals.
Project details
| Length of commitment | More than one year |
| Start time | Beginning of semester or winter/summer sessions |
| In-person, remote, or hybrid? | In-person |
| Level of collaboration | Small group project (2-3 students) |
| Benefits | Research experience; academic credit |
| Who is eligible | Undergraduates who have taken first-year biology and physics |
Core partners
- Jeffrey A. McKinney
- Deepu K. George
- TJ Lafave
- RCSB Protein Data Bank
- ProDy: Protein Dynamics and Sequence Analysis
Project mentor
Andrea Markelz
Professor
Physics
Start the project
- Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
- After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.)
Preparation activities
Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase.
- Attend/participate in chemical safety training
- Read a paper from our lab which explains how we measure the protein dynamics
- Watch two videos on protein crystallization:
Keywords
Physics