Kumashiro Lab

Summary:

Current research projects focus on elastin, a vertebrate protein with remarkable biomechanical properties. The elastic properties of a number of physiological structures, such as blood vessels and skin, are believed to originate from elastin, an amorphous, crosslinked protein comprised largely of small hydrophobic amino acids. The three-dimensional structures of insoluble elastin remains elusive, as crystallographic tools and even the most sophisticated solution NMR spectroscopy cannot be used to study this insoluble protein. Therefore, for many years, the true nature of elasticity in biological systems has remained controversial, as none of the existing models could be confirmed or rebutted with high-resolution structural data.

Affiliations:

• Department of Chemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa

People:

• PI: Kumashiro, Kristin
  

Resources:

Instruments

• Varian NMR probe solid state ( NMR probe )