Thermodynamics of Metal-Protein Interactions

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Research award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports work by Professor Dean Wilcox at Dartmouth College to carry out fundamental studies of metal ions binding to proteins. The research provides new insight about the uptake, transport and delivery of essential metals, as well as the sequestering and export of toxic metals, by living organisms. Using calorimeters to measure the heat that is released or absorbed when metal ions bind to proteins, the investigators quantify the relative metal and protein contributions to the energy-related factors that determine the stability of metal-protein complexes. In many cases two or more metals bind to the same protein with an unusually high stability that may be fundamental to the storage of essential metals or to the sequestering of toxic metals. Not only is this research leading to fundamental chemical insight about metal-protein interactions but it is providing important training for students who will be the next generation of bioinorganic chemists and biochemists. In addition, this research will develop and disseminate the protocols for calorimetry measurements with metals, which are needed to accurately quantify the thermodynamics of chemical reactions involving metal ions. Results from this research on the chemistry that living organisms use to manage essential metals (e.g., copper, zinc, iron) and deal with toxic metals (e.g., cadmium, mercury, arsenic) will provide valuable information for assessing the environmental impact of metals from natural and man-made sources.