Biochemistry Faculty

• Arlene Albert -- The effect of lipids on the structure and function of membrane proteins. Specifically, the structure of the G-protein receptor, rhodopsin, its interaction with lipids and the role which the lipid bilayer composition plays in modulating the biochemistry of visual signal transduction.
• Debra A. Kendall -- Biochemical and biophysical analyses of membrane-interactive proteins to probe the relationship between structural properties and biological function; examination of signal peptides and protein export in prokaryotes; analyses of membrane protein folding and assembly; mapping the active site(s) of the cannabinoid receptor and signal transduction studies of this G-protein coupled receptor.
• Wolf-Dieter Reiter -- Biochemical genetics of cell wall synthesis in higher plants using Arabidopsis as a model system; enzymology of nucleotide sugar interconversion enzymes and glycosyltransferases in plant cell wall synthesis.
• Carolyn M. Teschke -- Biochemical, biophysical, and mutational analysis of protein folding in vivo and in vitro, specifically of proteins greater than 400 amino acids in length; interaction of folding intermediates with molecular chaperones; kinetics and specificity of aggregation reactions, virus assembly.

Affiliated Faculty

• Andrei Alexandrescu -- High-resolution solution NMR investigations of protein structure, folding, dynamics, and association; NMR methods to investigate residual structure in protein folding intermediates; conserved folding mechanisms of proteins that share the OB-fold structural motif; evolution of protein structure; structures of neuromuscular junction components; NMR methods to study amyloid fibrils; computational approaches to protein folding.
• Peter Burkhard -- Structure - based rational design of small proteins that are able to self-assemble into nanoparticles with icosahedral symmetry. We are investigating the biophysical properties and the medical applications of such nanoparticles. Functionalized nanoparticles are being designed for as drug targeting and delivery systems. Synthetic vaccines are being developed by using these nanoparticles as repetitive antigen display systems.
• James Cole -- Biophysical characterization of noncovalent protein-protein, protein-nucleic acid, and protein-ligand interactions using analytical ultracentrifugation and related techniques. Interferon host defense pathway; HIV integrase; HIV gp41/gp120 envelope.
• Gary Cote, Dept. of Biology, Radford University, Radford, VA -- cellular and biochemical mechanisms of signal transduction, particularly in plants and lower eukaryotes, with particular interest in the phosphatidylinositol signaling system. Cellular and biochemical mechanisms of biological rhythmicity, particularly circadian rhythms.
• Charles Giardina -- Cellular reactive oxygen production and apoptosis. Molecular mechanisms of heat shock gene regulation.
• Peter Oates, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT -- Enzymology, pharmacology, carbohydrate metabolism, diabetes, pathogenic mechanisms of diabetic kidney, nerve, eye and heart disease.
• Victoria Robinson -- High-resolution determination of protein structures by X-ray crystallography. The goal of my research is to use genetic, biochemical and structural methodologies to study novel families of bacterial GTPases, which have potential as targets for antimicrobial development.

Emeritus Faculty

• Emory H. Braswell -- Physical chemistry and charge of macromolecules and their interaction with other molecules using analytical ultracentrifugation light-scattering, and computer simulation studies.
• Lawrence E. Hightower -- Cellular responses to environmental stress. Altered gene expression in animal cells responding to chemical and physical stress; analysis of regulatory signals, functions of induced proteins, physiologic significance of the responses. Effects of heat shock and chemical stress on chicken, mammalian, and fish cells.
• Judith A. Kelly -- Protein structure and function using techniques of X-ray diffraction, kinetic methods and interactive computer graphics. Drug inhibition of enzyme catalysis; protein-protein interactions; investigation of enzyme mechanisms at the atomic level; high-speed, three-dimensional graphics modelling of biological marcomolecules.
• James Knox -- Biophysical and stereochemical analysis of 3D macromolecular structure, especially by means of x-ray scattering and protein crystallography. The tertiary structures and enzymic mechanisms of several bacterial drug targets are being established in an effort to assist medicinal chemists in drug/inhibitor design. Current enzymes under study are the beta- lactamases and transpeptidases which interact with penicillin-type antibiotics, and two D-alanyl ligases of cell wall synthesis which are potential targets of new drugs.