Solid-State NMR Studies of Vanadium Sites in Vanadium Haloperoxidases

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

In this award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Tatyana Polenova of the University of Delaware, together with her undergraduate and graduate student researchers, will develop methods of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to probe the chemical environment of Vanadium-51 in proteins and bioinorganic systems. The physical chemical research carried out here will benefit from the collaboration with a synthetic chemist -- Prof. Debbie Crans -- at Colorado State University. The majority of the work will focus on the vanadium haloperoxidase enzymes -- the most efficient halide oxidants known to date. The ultimate goal of research like that of Prof. Polenova's group is to develop a better understanding of the role played by trace metals like Vanadium in biological systems. The nuclear magnetic resonance methods developed here will also likely be useful for studying the chemical environment of other Vanadium containing materials. Prof. Polenova's students receive excellent training in an interdisciplinary environment, and Prof. Polenova will continue to serve as a mentor to students from groups underrepresented in the sciences