Biochemistry
Sep. 7, 2019
Lloyd W. Sumner
The research focus of the Sumner lab includes the development of cutting-edge technologies for large-scale biochemical profiling of plant metabolites (i.e. metabolomics) and integrating these with other omics data. These technologies are then applied in a symbiotic manner for plant gene discovery, gene characterization and the elucidation of mechanistic responses to external stimuli; especially related to plant specialized metabolism or plant natural products biosynthesis. Technology enables the biology and the biology drives technology development. Current technology development projects include the development of a sophisticated and integrated ensemble including UHPLC-MS-SPE-NMR for the systematic and biologically driven annotation of plant metabolomes. This…
Sep. 7, 2019
Jay J. Thelen
Educational background Ph.D. Biological Sciences, University of Missouri Courses taught Biochemistry 4272/7272: Biochemistry…
Sep. 7, 2019
Scott C. Peck
Educational background Ph.D., Michigan State University Courses taught Biochemistry 2480: Introduction to Macromolecular Structure and Function Biochemistry 8200: Principles and Research Practices in Biochemistry…
Sep. 7, 2019
Lesa J. Beamer
Educational background Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Courses taught Problem-Based Learning (PBL) for 1st and 2nd year medical students Graduate Level Structural Biology for the Life Sciences…
Sep. 7, 2019
Steven R. Van Doren
Dynamic biological assemblies are strategic and fascinating. We have been exploring molecular recognition by flexible proteins and automatic tracking of changes in complex spectra and medical images. Molecular recognition by proteins with intrinsic disorder A pivotal virus-membrane interaction: Coronaviruses use a region of Spike to merge the viral envelope with the host cell membrane. We continue to be interested in the nature of the lipid interactions with this fusogenic region of Spike. Our articles reported (i) the NMR structure of the fusion peptide in a simple membrane-mimicking environment and (ii) its insertion and distortion of the simple membrane mimic via…
Sep. 7, 2019
Gerald Hazelbauer, PhD
Education BS Biology Williams College Williamstown, Mass. MS Biology Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio PhD Genetics University of Wisconsin Madison, Wis. Research Area Transmembrane receptors and sensory transduction in bacterial chemotaxis. Research Description The aim of our research is to elucidate molecular mechanisms of transmembrane receptors and sensory transduction. For more than 40 years our research group has provided important information about the transmembrane chemoreceptors and signaling complexes that mediate chemotaxis in Escherichia coli. We have helped make bacterial chemotaxis the best understood signaling system in biology and a favored subject for systems biology. Our experimental approaches combine biochemistry,…
Sep. 6, 2019
John J. Tanner
Educational background Ph.D. Chemistry, Brown University, 1988…
Sep. 6, 2019
Michael S. Chapman
Structural Virology – Host Interactions: The US Food & Drug Administration has now approved two gene replacement therapies: Luxturna™ (2017), a treatment for congenital blindness and Zolgenesma™ (2019) for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). 1,500 SMA infants have now been treated for this debilitating and fatal genetic disorder. These, and treatments for hemophilia and other diseases, use recombinant rAAV vectors to deliver DNA to afflicted cells. Our structure-function analyses provide a fundamental understanding of the atomic interactions key to cell entry, trafficking, and immune neutralization. These foundations are needed for the engineering of gene therapy vectors that are efficient and specific enough…
Sep. 6, 2019
Xiao Heng
The 5′-cap of HIV-1 incompletely spliced mRNAs undergoes hypermethylation by the host trimethylguanosine synthase, resulting in the formation of a trimethylguanosine (TMG) cap. Disrupting this process markedly diminishes HIV infectivity, as the TMG-cap enables the viral RNA to access a specialized translation pathway, ensuring sustained viral protein synthesis when the host’s global translation pathway is dampened in response to the stress induced by pathogen invasion. Our lab focuses on characterizing the RNA structures and molecular interactions necessary for the cap epigenetic modification, using a variety of biophysical techniques including NMR spectroscopy, cryoEM, small angle X-ray scattering and isothermal titration calorimetry.
Sep. 5, 2019
Charlotte L. Phillips
To investigate the regulation and structure/function of extracellular matrix to tissue specific expression in the pathogenesis of inherited connective tissue disorders. Type I collagen, the predominant structural protein in many tissues provides strength to bone and tendon, integrity to skin, major organs and blood vessels, and support for mineralization of bone and teeth. Abnormalities in type I collagen synthesis and structure are associated with several acquired and inherited connective tissue disorders (osteogenesis imperfecta, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and osteoporosis). Investigating the pathogenesis of the different inherited connective tissues disorders and identifying the specific mutations in the type I collagen genes gives us…