Chemistry Newsblog

Tag: Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova

Karabencheva-Christova Lab Reveals Molecular Mechanism of Cancer-Associated Enzyme

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Cover page and images of Karabencheva-Christova's New Study
Karabencheva-Christova Publishes New Study
Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova
Associate Professor

A recent research article by Karabencheva-Christova’s group was showcased on the back cover of Chemical Science, the flagship journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

The team led by Dr. Karabencheva-Christova includes Ph.D. students Anandhu Krisnan (first author) and Fathima Hameed Cherilakkudy; Ph.D. graduate Sodiq Waheed ’23, currently a researcher at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Ph.D. graduate Ann Varghese ’23, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in Jefferson, Arkansas. Professor Christopher J. Schofield from the University of Oxford, U.K., was a collaborator on the study.

The research illuminates the origin of the atypical catalytic strategy employed by the human non-heme Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase AspH, which is a target for anticancer therapy.
This research was funded by NIH grant 2R15GM132873-02. We thank Sarah Atkinson (RD, MTU) for her assistance with image preparation.

Anandhu Krisnan, Karabencheva-Christova New Study
Anandhu Krisnan
Ph.D. student
Fathima Hameed Cherilakkudy, Karabencheva-Christova New Study
Fathima Hameed Cherilakkudy
PhD Student
Ann Varghese ’23
Ann Varghese ’23
Ph.D. graduate
Sodiq Waheed ’23
Sodiq Waheed ’23
Ph.D. graduate

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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In-Print: Karabencheva-Christova featured in the the Journal of Physical Chemistry B

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Tatyana G. Karabencheva-Christova
Dr. Karabencheva-Christova

A team from the Department of Chemistry, led by Associate Professor Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova and including Ph.D. student Ann Varghese (first author); Sodiq Waheed ’23 (Ph.D. Computational Chemistry, currently a researcher at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana); postdoctoral researcher Koteswararao Gorantla; and undergraduate students Isabella DiCastri, Ciara LaRouche and Brendan Kaski, has published an article in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B.

The article is titled “Catalytic Mechanism of Collagen Hydrolysis by Zinc(II)-Dependent Matrix Metalloproteinase-1”

Professor Gregg Fields from Florida Atlantic University is a collaborator in this study.

The study reveals the catalytic mechanism of collagen hydrolysis by matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), an extensive target for drug design, for the first time via a multilevel computational chemistry approach. The article was featured as a supplementary cover. The authors thank Sarah Atkinson (RD) for assisting with cover image preparation. The study is funded by NIH 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.

Continue Reading →

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.

Continue Reading →