Chemistry Newsblog

Category: Research

In Print: Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova Revealing the Catalytic Strategy of FTO

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Diagram of the FTO enzyme catalysis
The FTO enzyme catalyzes the reaction of hydroxylation of 6-methyladenine (m6A) to 6-hydroxymethyl adenine (hm6-A) and then the reaction of oxidation of hm6-A to 6-formyl adenine (f6A). Mutations of the residues in the second coordination sphere influence the activation barrier of the Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT) which is the rate-limiting step.

A team from the Department of Chemistry led by Associate Professor Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova and including Ph.D. student Ann Varghese (first author); former Ph.D. students Sodiq Waheed ’23 (Ph.D. Computational Chemistry, currently a researcher at Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis) and Shobhit Chaturvedi ’22 (M.S. Ph.D. Chemistry, currently a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA); and undergraduate students Isabella DiCastri, Ciara LaRouche and Brendan Kaski has published an article in Chem Catalysis.

The article is titled “Revealing the catalytic strategy of FTO.” It provides unique insight into the catalytic mechanism of the fat-mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO), which is an Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenase targeted for treating obesity and cancer. The study reveals that the mutant R316Q, which is related to diseases, slows down the O2 activation and hydrogen atom transfer rates.

Professor Christo Christov (Chem) is a collaborator in this study, along with Nicolai Lehnert of the University of Michigan and Deyu Li of the University of Rhode Island.

The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health grant 2R15GM132873-02.

About the Chemistry Department at Michigan Technological University

Chemists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues and advance research making contributions to health and well-being, environmental protection, responsible use of materials, and climate stabilization. The Chemistry Department offers five undergraduate degrees, an MS and PhD in Chemistry, and an accelerated MS. Supercharge your chemistry skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at chemistry@mtu.edu. Follow all the latest happenings on the Chemistry Blog.

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In Print: Christo Christov: Catalysis by KDM6 Histone Demethylases – A Synergy between the Non-Heme Iron(II) Center, Second Coordination Sphere, and Long-Range Interactions

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Chemistry A European Journal cover image
Chemistry A European Journal Sept 2023 Cover (by Sarah Atkinson)

A research team led by Professor Christo Christov (Chem) published the article “Catalysis by KDM6 Histone Demethylases – A Synergy between the Non-Heme Iron(II) Center, Second Coordination Sphere, and Long-Range Interactions,” in Chemistry – A European Journal. The article was selected for a journal cover feature, prepared with the help of Sarah Atkinson.

Many researchers contributed, including Ph.D. student Bathir Jaber Sathik Rifayee (chemistry, the first author); Ph.D. graduate Shobhit Chaturvedi ’22 (M.S. Ph.D. Chemistry, currently a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA); undergraduate students Cait Warner (biological sciences), Jon Wildey (chemical engineering) and Walter White (chemistry); Associate Professor Martin Thompson (Chem); and Professor Christopher Schofield of the University of Oxford, U.K.,

The study revealed the catalytic mechanism of the non-heme Fe(II)/2Oxoglutarate-Dependent histone demethylases from class 6 – KDM6A and KDM6B – enzymes involved in epigenetics regulation and being validated target for drug design. The study revealed the vital role of the second coordination sphere surrounding the non-heme iron center to stabilize the key catalytic species along the catalytic cycle and importantly elucidated the differences in the transition state-stabilization residues between the two enzymes, thus providing background for enzyme-specific drug design.

This research is supported by NIH grant 1R15GM139118.

About the Chemistry Department at Michigan Tech

Chemists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues and advance research making contributions to health and well-being, environmental protection, responsible use of materials, and climate stabilization. The Chemistry Department offers five undergraduate degrees, an MS and PhD in Chemistry, and an accelerated MS. Supercharge your chemistry skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at chemistry@mtu.edu. Follow all the latest happenings on the Chemistry Blog.

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New Funding: National Institutes of Health Awards Haiying Liu and Rudy Luck

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Haiying Liu
Haiying Liu

Haiying Liu has been awarded a supplementary grant of $18,995 from the National Institutes of Health. The grant supplements Liu’s parent grant related to the project titled “Near-infrared Fluorescent Probes for Sensitive Detection of NADH in Live Cells,” bringing the total accumulated funding to $488,495.

Rudy Luck is a co-PI on this potential three-year project.

Rudy Luck
Rudy Luck

This supplemental grant will enable the acquisition of a cell incubator equipped with precise oxygen level control. Controlling oxygen levels offers significant advantages for studying NAD(P)H levels in live cells during drug treatment, including enhanced accuracy, reproducibility and the ability to mimic specific physiological conditions.

The research goals of this project involve the design and development of near-infrared fluorescent probes, facilitating accurate and quantitative analysis of alterations in NAD(P)H concentrations within the mitochondria of live cells, specifically within the glycolysis pathway. This comprehensive analysis will encompass diverse metabolic processes and the variations occurring during mitophagy induced by cell starvation and drug treatment. The overarching objective is to attain a more profound understanding of both physiological and pathological processes.

About the Chemistry Department

Chemists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues and advance research making contributions to health and well-being, environmental protection, responsible use of materials, and climate stabilization. The Chemistry Department offers five undergraduate degrees and a master’s and PhD in chemistry. Supercharge your chemistry skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at chemistry@mtu.edu.

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Call for Applications: 2023 Songer Research Award for Human Health

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Undergraduate and graduate chemistry students are encouraged to apply for the 2023 Songer Research Award for Human Health. Matthew Songer, (Biological Sciences ’79) and Laura Songer (Biological Sciences ’80) established these awards to stimulate and encourage opportunities for original research by current Michigan Tech students.

Students may propose an innovative medically-oriented research project in any area of human health. The best projects will demonstrate the potential to have a broad impact on improving human life. This research will be pursued in consultation with faculty members within the College of Sciences and Arts. The Songers’ gift and matching funds from the College will support two awards for undergraduate research ($4,000) and two for graduate research ($6,000), for research conducted over the Summer of 2023 and/or the following academic year.

Learn more about who is eligible to apply, how to apply, and how the funds may be used.

Submit applications as a single PDF file to the Office of the College of Sciences and Arts by 4:00 p.m. Monday, April 24, 2023. Applications may be emailed to djhemmer@mtu.edu. Any questions may be directed to David Hemmer (djhemmer@mtu.edu).

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On the (Virtual) Road

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Two members of Dr. Kathryn Perrine’s research group, Mikhail Trought, and Chathura de Alwis, presented at the spring Materials Research Society (MRS) meeting April 17th-23rd.

Trought presented on redox chemistry of iron oxide single-crystal surfaces using ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS). de Alwis presented on probing the initial stages of iron surface corrosion using AP-XPS. Dr. Perrine presented on measuring the effects of ions on iron surface oxidation at the air/liquid/solid interface using polarization modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and surface analysis, the research group’s current focus.

This work is supported by the NASA award number NNX15AJ20H, a Michigan Space Grant Consortium faculty seed grant, NSF MRI CHE 1725818, and the Michigan Tech 2019 Research Excellence Fund.

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On the (Virtual) Road

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Kathryn A. Perrine
Kathryn A. Perrine

Kathryn Perrine (Chem) presented an invited talk on electrochemical surface corrosion, “Surface Chemistry and Catalysis at Complex Interfaces using PM-IRRAS,” at the #ChemistsLive, an American Chemical Society Cross-Division Virtual Live event Friday (Sept. 25) in the Ambient Pressure Spectroscopy in Complex Chemical Environments session (Catalysis Division).

This event followed the ACS Fall 2020 virtual National Meeting where graduate students of the Perrine group, Mikhail Trought and Chathura de Alwis, also presented their research on surface oxidation.

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In Print

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Christina J. Welch, Priyanka D. Kadav, Jared L. Edwards, Jessica Krycia, Melanie L. Talaga, Purnima Bandyopadhyay, and Tarun K. Dam were published on September 3rd, 2020. Their paper, “A Rapid and Facile Purification Method for Glycan‐Binding Proteins and Glycoproteins” was funded by the National Science Foundation. Grant Number: 1608537. It was published on the cover of the September issue of Current Protocols in Protein Science.

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New Funding

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shiyue-fang-personnel

Shiyue Fang is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $490,000 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation.

The project is entitled, “CAS: Long Oligodeoxynucleotides Directly from Automated De Novo Synthesis.” Yinan Yuan (CFRES) is a Co-PI on this three-year project.

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