Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Proteins are the class of molecules that carry out almost all of the functions necessary for life. Enzymes are the proteins that carry out almost all the chemical reactions required in our bodies and in nature. In order to understand how enzymes work, the applicants study their structures in detail. This knowledge is critical to manipulating these enzymes for clinical purposes, such as inhibiting or regulating them. In addition, many of the enzymes that occur in nature are just being discovered and may have practical uses in areas as diverse as nanotechnology, materials science and biofuels. Characterizing their structures and activities is necessary to exploit these applications. The primary technique for determining protein structures is X-ray crystallography. The instrumentation being requested here is key to inducing the proteins to form into crystals. In order to find the conditions for crystal formation, many screens of different conditions must be carried out. The liquid handler/robot device allows these screens to be carried out reproducibly and with small amounts of precious protein sample, thus saving considerable time and expense. The temperature control devices allow the testing of crystal growth at different temperatures and exploiting that as a variable to be screened. The stereomicroscope is essential for examining and manipulating protein crystals for data collection. Together these instruments are core in major laboratories world-wide and provide valuable training tools for students at all levels.