Research Initiation Award: Resonance Raman Spectroscopic Studies on the Dynamic Structures and Long-Range Electron Transfer of Di-Heme

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The Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support to STEM junior faculty at HBCUs who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who may have returned to the faculty ranks after holding an administrative post or who needs to redirect and rebuild a research program. Faculty members may pursue research at their home institution, at an NSF-funded Center, at a research intensive institution or at a national laboratory. The RIA projects are expected to help further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, to improve research and teaching at his or her home institution, and to involve undergraduate students in research experiences. With support from the National Science Foundation, Tougaloo College will conduct research to understand how heme proteins function in biological systems and what factors regulate their functions. The research project is an interdisciplinary project which will involve students and faculty in the areas of chemistry, physics and biology. The project is expected to expand the research capacity of the College and to promote student and faculty engagement in STEM disciplines. It will contribute to the College's efforts to produce more qualified STEM workers and researchers, especially from underrepresented minority groups.The goals of this project are to: 1) study the dynamic structure of the di-heme enzyme, MauG, and some mutant MauG proteins; 2) determine the relationship between the dynamic properties and the enzyme function; and 3) identify key structural features that control the dynamic structures and long-range electron transfer properties of the enzyme. Resonance Raman and FTIR spectroscopy along with kinetic studies will be used to achieve these goals. Findings from this work will provide clues as to how the protein is self-regulated to perform the catalytic function while protecting itself from oxidative damage and may also help to elucidate the electron-transfer and catalytic mechanism of other multi-active center proteins or protein complexes. This work is expected to extend the understanding of the structure-function relationship, especially the roles of remote residue in electron transfer. This project will also provide training in variable temperature techniques, and protein expression and purification techniques for undergraduates. These are valuable skills that will allow students to distinguish themselves in the job market and/or give students a competitive edge when applying to graduate schools.