Spectroscopic Analysis of Aromatic Amino Acids in Protein-Mimic Mixtures
Start Date
August 2025
End Date
August 2025
Location
ALT 302
Abstract
Spectroscopy is a powerful tool for analyzing the structure and behavior of proteins, but its effectiveness relies on understanding the distinct properties of the molecules involved. Proteins consist of amino acids. Two aromatic amino acids, tyrosine and tryptophan, play important roles in spectroscopy due to their unique aromatic ring structure. To explore how these amino acids behave under different spectroscopic techniques, stock solutions of tryptophan and tyrosine were used to create mixtures mimicking the aromatic amino acid ratios found in three proteins: bovine serum albumin (BSA), horse heart cytochrome c, and sperm whale myoglobin. Data was collected using the JASCO J-810 Spectropolarimeter across three spectroscopic methods: absorbance, fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD). The contributions of tryptophan and tyrosine and their behaviors were observed by analyzing how these mimic mixtures behaved at various excitation wavelengths.
Spectroscopic Analysis of Aromatic Amino Acids in Protein-Mimic Mixtures
ALT 302
Spectroscopy is a powerful tool for analyzing the structure and behavior of proteins, but its effectiveness relies on understanding the distinct properties of the molecules involved. Proteins consist of amino acids. Two aromatic amino acids, tyrosine and tryptophan, play important roles in spectroscopy due to their unique aromatic ring structure. To explore how these amino acids behave under different spectroscopic techniques, stock solutions of tryptophan and tyrosine were used to create mixtures mimicking the aromatic amino acid ratios found in three proteins: bovine serum albumin (BSA), horse heart cytochrome c, and sperm whale myoglobin. Data was collected using the JASCO J-810 Spectropolarimeter across three spectroscopic methods: absorbance, fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD). The contributions of tryptophan and tyrosine and their behaviors were observed by analyzing how these mimic mixtures behaved at various excitation wavelengths.
