International Collaboration in Chemistry on Control of Excited State Proton Transfer in GFP

Northeastern University, Boston MA

Investigators

Abstract

This International Collaboration in Chemistry (ICC) award in the Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP) program in the Division of Chemistry supports work by Professors Paul Champion and Timothy Sage at Northeastern University, in collaboration with Jasper van Thor and Michael Bearpark at Imperial College, London, to carry out fundamental studies on excited state proton transfer in green fluorescent protein (GFP). The project exploits the occurrence of excited state proton transfer in GFP, which allows the reaction to be triggered with a laser pulse and followed on ultrafast time scales. Measurements over a wide range of time and temperature will reveal the influence of thermally activated vibrations and quantum mechanical contributions to the reaction. Students will gain international experience and be trained in cutting edge optical and biological techniques. Proton transfer is a crucial component of many enzymatic reactions, and GFP provides a unique opportunity to isolate this biologically ubiquitous process for detailed study. These investigations will contribute to understanding how biological systems control metabolic processes and the ability to manipulate proton transfer will ultimately facilitate the tailoring of enzymes involved in energy generation and in global biogeochemical cycles.