Congratulations to the entire group who have worked hard and collected lots of good data this week. To Jon (MS Chemistry candidate UNCC/Walsh Fellow) who has optimized the BMG fluorimeter to collect pyrene-actin polymerization rate data and tested the detection limits. To George and Harrison, (NCBC and HHMI UG research fellows from UNCC and K’ College, respectively) who have shown that the 0.2 mm CD cells will work for collecting protein in EAN data and who have temperature-dependent CD data on the recombinant human GS protein. To Brent and Navid, (NSF Nanosure and UGs at UNCC) who have very interesting ITC data on bovine gelsolin titrations with varying concentrations of EAN. To Matt (NCSSM rising senior) who has learned in less than an hour how to download pdb files and view them in spdviewer and is ready to learn to use VMD and NAMD to run some very intriguing molecular dynamics simulations for us. And especially to Carly (Audrey Kell rising junior) who has made 85g of gorgeous looking muscle acetone powder from 600g of muscle tissue in record time!
As most of the data presented this week is in the preliminary stages and still require analysis however, I have chosen this week’s DATA of the WEEK to be the NMR data that was used to devise a strategy for the purification of an unknown 500-ml sample of EAN. Led by Brent and Jon, my lab collectively decided that it makes no sense to let a 500-ml sample of EAN of unknown origin or purity sit around the lab unlabeled and uncharacterized. On their own, they checked its purity by H-NMR, top panel, determined (from the NMR and by examining a cryptic notebook describing its synthesis) that it contained an xs of nitric acid and other contaminants. They then re-reacted it with ethylamine (middle panel) filtered and dehydrated it to generate a clean, well-characterized sample (bottom panel) for use in our planned experiments this summer! WAY to be pro-active LAB!! and thank you.
