Acquisition of a Phase-Lifetime Spectrofluorometer
{'Code': '08080102', 'Directorate': {'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'LongName': 'Div Of Biological Infrastructure'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Kathie L. Olsen'}
Trytophan and tyrosine are natural fluorophores and components                  of proteins.  These biological chromophores are fluorescent,                    i.e., when photo excited they emit light which is                               characteristic of their chemical and physical environment.                      Fluorescence is an important analytical technique because of                    its extreme sensitivity and specificity.  The time scale of the                 fluorescence phenomenon can make the technique a very effective                 probe of the surroundings of the fluorophore.  The requested                    spectrofluorometer is a state-of-the-art instrument which                       provides spectral differentiation of fluorophores in a mixture                  on the basis of difference in fluorescence lifetimes.  In the                   case of a protein molecule, the true emission profile of the                    tyrosine and tryptophan residues which contribute to the total                  fluorescence of the protein can be identified and monitored.                    The spectrofluorometer can also offer information on the                        molecular size, conformation, and interactions of fluorophores                  in a protein molecule.  With these measurements, the dynamic                    chemical and physical nature of the fluorophores can be                         deduced.                                                                        The biological research projects which require the use of the                   spectrofluorometer include:                                                     1. The conformation of a metabolic enzyme, ornithine                            transcarbamoylase, under the influence of a variety of ligands                  will be analyzed.  The goal is to probe the possible metabolic                  regulation of this enzyme.  One of the most challenging                         problems in biochemistry today is the study of metabolic                        regulation.                                                                     2.The characterization of chromophore-based biopolymers using                   fluorescence techniques will be conducted to provide insight                    into how groups are assembled and communicate electronically                    along a polymer backbone.  This study will aid the elucidation                  of the structure of biological polymer composite and the design                 of new materials for optical and electronic processing.                         4. The molecular mechanism of the retinal based proteins,                       rhododpsin and bacteriorhodopsin, will be investigated for the                  understanding of phototransduction in membranes.                                5. The development of skeletal muscle tissue in the vertebrate                  embryo is a complex multistep process which is not yet well                     understood. The sensitivity of the spectrofluorometer will be                   exploited to dissect out the signal transduction cascade within                 the myoblast membrane for the understanding of cell                             differentiation of muscle.
[{'FirstName': 'Richard', 'LastName': 'Clarke', 'EmailAddress': None, 'StartDate': '06/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Lawrence C.', 'LastName': 'Kuo', 'EmailAddress': None, 'StartDate': '06/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Robert', 'LastName': 'Hausman', 'EmailAddress': 'hausman@bu.edu', 'StartDate': '06/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Kenneth', 'LastName': 'Rothschild', 'EmailAddress': 'kjr@bu.edu', 'StartDate': '06/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Guilford', 'LastName': 'Jones', 'EmailAddress': 'giljones@bu.edu', 'StartDate': '06/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'Trustees of Boston University', 'CityName': 'BOSTON', 'ZipCode': '022151300', 'PhoneNumber': '6173534365', 'StreetAddress': '881 COMMONWEALTH AVE', 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Massachusetts', 'StateCode': 'MA'}
{'Code': '1108', 'Text': 'INSTRUMENTAT & INSTRUMENT DEVP'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8820594.xml'}