Bio(in)organic Chemistry of Reactive Sulfur and Selenium Species

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With this award, the Chemistry of Life Processes Program in the Chemistry Division is funding Dr. Michael Pluth from the University of Oregon to investigate biologically-relevant reactive sulfur and selenium compounds. These compounds play important roles in biological systems, but in many cases the underlying chemistry and reactivity of these compounds that supports their biological function remains unclear. Dr. Pluth investigates this complex chemistry using relatively simple sulfur-containing model compounds synthesized for this purpose in his laboratory. In addition, the proposed experiments probe differences and similarities between the reactivity of the new sulfur compounds and related, selenium compounds. The research is implemented by graduate and undergraduate students who gain knowledge and skills of bioorganic and bioinorganic chemistry useful in STEM careers in the 21st century. An educational broader impact focuses on the design of hands-on laboratory-based experiments for middle school students and on raising the awareness of the students of the importance of negative experimental results in guiding the design of future areas of scientific investigation.This research project investigates the fundamental chemistry associated with the storage, signaling, and action of reactive sulfur and selenium species relevant to biological system. Specifically, the work probes the chemical mechanisms that differentiate persulfide signaling and hydrogen sulfide release and expands studies on the bioavailability of uninvestigated sulfane sulfur sources. Building on connections to related reactive selenium species, small molecules that allow the modulation of biological hydrogen selenide pools are being developed. Information gained from these investigations is expected to shed light on the connections and interactions among reactive sulfur and selenium species across a range of oxidation states in biological systems. In the longer term, the tools developed in these studies have the potential to help elucidate some of the key roles that the small molecule reduced chalcogenides, H2S (hydrogen sulfide) and H2Se (hydrogen selenide)and their oxidized counterparts play in biological communication and signaling.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.