An Open-access 700 MHz NMR Spectrometer for Central New England - Support for the acquisition of a state-of-the-art open-access 700 MHz NMR spectrometer for researchers in central New England is requested. The instrument will be located at UConn Health in Farmington, CT, in the Gregory P. Mullen NMR Structural Biology Facility, which currently houses spectrometers operating at 400, 500, 600, and 800 MHz. The Facility is operated by a full-time manager supported by the University of Connecticut and additional part-time staff. In addition to providing robust HVAC, power, and network infrastructure, the facility operates a helium-recovery system for sustainable operation. The 700 will be utilized by a core group of experienced investigators from the UConn Storrs and Farmington UConn campuses, the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), Brown and Wesleyan Universities, and Worcester Polytechnic Institution, and will be available to others. Participating investigators will obtain access on a priority basis, determined by a multi-institution scheduling committee. The group of participating investigators comprises 18 laboratories, 11 of which use NMR as a primary research tool, and has demonstrated outstanding NMR-based research into protein structure, function, and dynamics, and on small biomolecules, through a record of publication and external funding. The 700 will complement the existing resources available to these researchers, will provide a unique field strength for field-dependent investigations of protein dynamics, and will enable the investigation of larger, more complex systems through its improved resolution and sensitivity compared to the obsolete, unsustainable 500 MHz instrument that it will replace. Gains in resolution will result from increased dispersion of nuclear resonances, simplified coupling patterns for small biomolecules, and larger TROSY effects for macromolecules. Studies to be supported by the 700 include transiently populated protein states involved in molecular recognition proteins, proteins that participate in repair and replication at sites of DNA damage, proteins that protect from DNA damage, molecular chaperones, proteins that function as tumor suppressors and their mutants, dynein molecular motor proteins, proteins that function in cell division, cell signaling proteins, enzymes involved in antibiotic resistance, hemopoeitic cytokines and their receptors, viral (including SARS-CoV-2) proteins, metabolomics, and plant natural products. The shared instrument will be supported by the Network for Advanced NMR, ensuring easy access, efficient use, and comprehensive data stewardship.
