Nickel Superoxide Dismutase: Investigating How A Seemingly Ill-Suited Biological Motif Can Perform Superoxide Detoxification

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。无机、生物无机和金属有机化学计划支持内华达大学的Jason Sheeller教授合成仿生金属肽和过渡金属络合物的研究，旨在阐明镍超氧化物歧化酶(NiSOD)的配位环境和机制等关键问题。利用NiSOD的全合成和无细胞蛋白的表达以及NiSOD片段的天然化学连接来研究该金属酶的性质。NiSOD是一种超氧自由基清除酶，可以清除氧代谢生物体中潜在的有毒副产物；它与包括癌症和关节炎在内的许多人类疾病有关。研究生和本科生将接受化学生物学方案以及计算技术方面的广泛培训。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program supports the research of Professor Jason Shearer of the University of Nevada Reno to synthesize biomimetic metallopeptide and transition metal complexes aimed at elucidating key questions concerning the coordination environment and mechanisms of nickel superoxide dismutase (NiSOD). A total synthesis of NiSOD in conjunction with a cell-free protein expression of NiSOD and the native chemical ligation of NiSOD fragments are utilized to investigate the properties of the metalloenzyme. NiSOD is a superoxide radical scavenging enzyme which removes potentially toxic by-products in oxygen-metabolizing organisms; it is implicated in a number of human diseases including cancer and arthritis. Graduate and undergraduate students will be extensively trained in chemical biology protocols as well as in computational techniques.