Our lab is interested in understanding how nitrogen oxide posttranslational modifications of proteins affect their catalytic activity and dynamic association with other proteins. We use combined biochemical (kinetic assays), biophysical (circular dichroism, light scattering, FRET) and structural analyses (x-ray crystallography and small-angle x-ray scattering) to elucidate the structural basis of nitrogen oxide-induced conformational changes of clinically relevant targets. Ultimately, our studies will provide a powerful molecular framework for the design of novel small molecules compounds for the treatment of hypertension, heart failure, atherosclerosis, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and vascular disorders with neurodegenerative consequences.
Our lab is equipped for molecular biology, protein expression and purification. We also have automated nanoliter crystallization technology (Art Robbins Phoenix robot, Fig. 1), and an x-ray generator for in-house data collection (Fig. 2)