(R4221) Comparing Calculation Methods for T1 Relaxation of γB Crystallin

Aleea Wrightstone (Rochester Institute of Technology)| George Thurston (Rochester Institute of Technology)| Lea Michel (Rochester Institute of Technology)| Jeffrey Mills (Rochester Institute of Technology)| Olivia Fraser (Rochester Institute of Technology)| Katie O'Neill-Knasick (Rochester Institute of Technology)

To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms behind the phase separation of eye lens proteins that result in cataracts, we have employed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and other biophysical methods. T1 relaxation is an exponential process that can be quantified using NMR experiments that allow us to indirectly observe the relaxation (or return) of net magnetization back to thermodynamic equilibrium. In our study, we employed an 1H-15N HSQC experiment to track the relaxation of backbone N-H groups from individual residues. Here, we discuss two approaches to analyzing T1 data, using peak amplitudes and peak integrations with NMR processing software and Mathematica computational program. Preliminary data suggest that the peak amplitude method may allow for a better analysis of peaks that overlap in the HSQC spectra, where integration cannot be applied.

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RIT DRIG grant to G. Thurston