Micro-imaging and
Spectroscopy
The
600 MHz Avance III HD Microimager and Spectrometer is interfaced with a wide
bore (89 mm) 14.1 T magnet system. It is equipped with actively shielded micro and
mini probes with maximum gradient strength of 150 Gauss/cm, which provides in
vivo images at micron resolution. The system is equipped with volume coils
for in vivo imaging and spectroscopic studies with mice and rats - localised
in vivo NMR spectroscopy can be carried out from a very small voxel (2x2x2
mm3) in mouse brains. Additionally, the spectrometer is equipped
with high resolution triple resonance and broadband probes for detection of
X-nuclei (like 13C, 31P) in solution. The current setup is
used to study subtle changes in brain atrophy, and understanding
neurometabolites, homeostasis and energetics of excitatory and inhibitory
neurotransmitters in different neurological and psychiatric disorders like amyotrophic
sclerosis, Alzheimer' disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression and addictions.
Additionally, the setup is used for the characterization and development of MRI
contrast agents.
Structural
Biology
The 600 MHz narrow bore NMR facility was setup to study
biomolecular structure and function under physiological conditions in solution.
The facility consists of a 600 MHz narrow
bore NMR spectrometer equipped with a cryogenically cooled probe. The enhanced
sensitivity of the cryoprobe allows de novo 3D structure determination
of relatively large proteins (MW > 25 kDa) and nucleic acids as well as
their ligand-bound complexes at the physiological condition. The Avance Neo
console allows us to utilize many state-of-the-art NMR experiments including
parallel detection of multiple nuclei and non-uniform sampling. The facility is
useful to perform structural studies of dynamic biomolecules that are difficult
to crystallize (e.g., multi-domain proteins, majorly disordered proteins). The spectrometer
is routinely used to derive biologically relevant conformational flexibility of
proteins and nucleic acids in situ.
For any service/usage of facility, please write to bdg@ccmb.res.in