CAREER: Metal-Binding Studies of Phosphorylated a-Synuclein Peptides

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

This CAREER award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports work by Professor Katherine J. Franz at Duke University to explore the impact of metal ions on the conformation of a-synuclein, the major protein component of Lewy Bodies, a symptom of Parkinson's Disease. Fluorescence techniques will be used to monitor metal binding to synthetic peptides relevant to both phosphorylated and unphosphorylated a-synuclein. Aggregation into fibrils is characteristic of a-synuclein, and after investigating tractable synthetic peptides which do not aggregate the methodology will be extended to fibril-prone peptide segments of a-synuclein. Important skills necessary for professional development will be enhanced through workshops for graduate students. Leadership and communication will be highlighted in the workshop settings, and career strategies and presentation techniques will be addressed as important topics for graduate student professional development. Duke is participating in the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate, and the educational objectives of the professional workshops planned for graduate students merge constructively with efforts to reassess the philosophy guiding PhD curricula in the department. Understanding the role of metal ions in protein conformational preferences and in aggregation processes is an important goal that is germane to modifying biological systems. Studies of polypeptides related to alpha synuclein will provide insight into the interactions of metals with potential metal binding sites along the amino acid sequence.