NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2008

Stewart Charles E, Des Moines IA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2008. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Charles E. Stewart is "Structural basis for the evolution of novel functions in type III polyketide synthases" The host institution for this research is the Salk Institute and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Joseph Noel. Polyketide synthases are enzymes that produce an amazing array of natural products in plants and bacteria that find important uses in medicine and agriculture. The diversity of these compounds is related to the variety of cyclization mechanisms used by the enzymes during biosynthesis. This research investigates the structural changes in polyketide synthases that show different functions and result in different products. The 3-dimensional structure of two closely related polyketide synthases with different cyclization patterns are being studied using x-ray crystallography. Comparison of these structures will help identify the specific amino acids responsible for the different cyclization patterns. The training objectives are to gain skills in enzymology and structural biology, especially as they relate to natural products, scientific ethics and science communication. The broader impacts include increasing the number of minorities through innovative outreach programs targeting students of various ages and education from the junior high to the post-doctoral level. This research will have broad impacts across academic disciplines, in particular the fields of biology, chemical biology, and natural product chemistry.