Mechanistic Studies on Dinuclear Hydrolytic Catalysts

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Dr. Richard Holz, Department of Chemistry, Utah State University is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division for an investigation of hydrolytic reactions catalyzed by dinuclear metal ion clusters. Specifically, Dr. Holz will elucidate the pathways of these reactions which are catalyzed by AAP (an aminopeptidase enzyme) with homo- and hetero-dinuclear metal clusters using a variety of spectroscopic and physical characterization techniques among which is time-resolved crystallography. The particular system chosen will serve both as a 'model" system and as a "real" system; this duality represents a truly state-of-the-art approach.The significance of this work is to gain an understanding of how di- and tri-nuclear metallohydrogenase enzymes hydrolyze such highly relevant biological molecules as DNA, RNA, phospholipids and polypeptides. The study will also provide an answer as to why the nickel- and copper-AAP enzymes are hyperactive relative to the zinc-AAP enzyme. This will be of interest to the biological and medical community. Graduate students and post-doctoral associates will receive an excellent training in bioinorganic chemistry.