17O Solid-state NMR Investigation of Chemotactic Factor f-MLF-OH

When a pathogen is present in one’s body, our innate immune system’s first line of defense is the release of strong agents from a type of white blood cell known as neutrophils. These cells are attracted to the site of infection via chemotactic factors. An example of a chemotactic factor is the tripeptide N-formyl-MLF-OH. Since the role of peptide structure influences the resulting biological function, it is imperative that characterization methods be identified to study these complex structures. Oxygen-17 solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an ideal method since it directly probes the oxygen nucleus. To date, 17O NMR studies are not routinely done due to the need for costly isotopic enrichment and high magnetic field strengths. Isotopically labelled N-formyl-MLF-OH will be studied using NMR, as well as method development for salvaging costly 17O-enriched water to be reused will be analyzed in this collaborative project.

Faculty Supervisor:

Vladimir Michaelis

Student:

Partner:

Technische Universität München (Garching)

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Alberta

Program: