Department

Professor Michael Hecht will present a seminar Tuesday, February 3rd. 2004.

Talk title: "Structures and Functions of De Novo Proteins from Designed Combinatorial Libraries"

Abstract:

Combinatorial libraries of de novo amino acid sequences can provide a rich source of diversity for the discovery of novel proteins. Randomly generated sequences, however, rarely fold into well-ordered protein-like structures. To enhance the quality of a library, diversity must be focused into regions of sequence space consistent with well-folded structures. We have designed focused libraries of sequences by constraining the binary pattern of polar and nonpolar amino acids to favor structures that contain abundant secondary structure, while simultaneously burying hydrophobic side chains in the protein interior and exposing hydrophilic side chains to the surrounding solvent. Recently, in collaboration with Jean Baum’s lab, we determined the structure of a 102-residue de novo protein from a binary patterned library and found the experimentally determined structure is a well-ordered four-helix bundle (see figure) as specified by the initial design. This finding demonstrates that amino acid sequences that have neither been selected by evolution (in vivo or in vitro), nor designed by computer, can form native-like protein structures. Examples will be presented demonstrating how binary patterning was used to construct libraries of either alpha-helical or beta-sheet proteins. These libraries have successfully produced well-ordered structures, cofactor binding proteins, catalytically active enzymes, self-assembled monolayers, amyloid-like nanofibrils, prototype biosensors, and novel protein-based biomaterials.

RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
LABORATORY FOR SURFACE MODIFICATION

 **** Call for Papers ****

Eighteenth Annual Symposium of the Laboratory for Surface Modification

Thursday February 26, 2004

Busch Campus, Piscataway
Fiber Optic Auditorium

       The Laboratory for Surface Modification (LSM) will host the Eighteenth Annual LSM Symposium on Thursday February 26, 2004.  The symposium will focus on experimental and theoretical studies of surfaces, interfaces and their applications, as well as nanoscale phenomena.   We will include both oral and poster presentations; contributed talks will be 15 minutes long (including short discussion).

     The program will include invited "Highlight Presentations" by Dr. Cherry Ann Murray (Lucent Technologies), Dr. Deborah Kuchnir Fygenson (UCSB) and Prof. Manish Chhowalla (Rutgers).

       This meeting will provide an excellent opportunity for Rutgers graduate students and postdocs to present their work in a friendly atmosphere.  Of course, faculty members are welcome to speak as well.

  Please send titles and brief (50 word) abstracts AT THE
LATEST by Monday February 9, 2004  to:

              Ms. Grisel Ortiz-Ludovico
              NANOPHYSICS Laboratory (NPL), Room 210
        Telephone:  (732) 445-4004
            FAX:  (732) 445-4991
              email:  grisel@physics.rutgers.edu

     Please send abstracts in the text of an email message, and
indicate whether ORAL or POSTER presentation is preferred.  The name of the
speaker or presenter should be highlighted.

Professor Frank Quina will present a seminar on Tuesday, February 10th, 2004. Details to follow in the near future.

Stanislav Y. Shvartsman - "Modeling and manipulating EGFR-mediated cell communication in development"

The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling network is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of epithelial tissues. Alterations in EGFR signaling lead to severe developmental defects and pathologies, including a
large number of cancers. At this time, there is a fairly extensive understanding of the mechanisms by which EGFR controls the physiology at the level of a single cell. The current challenge is to understand how this network operates in tissues. For this, it is necessary to integrate the information from genetic and cellular studies into predictive quantitative models. I will describe our recent work on computational analysis of EGFR-mediated pattern formation in epithelial layers. We are using the Drosophila egg development as an experimental system and focus on dorsoventral patterning.

Professor Carl Trindle will present a seminar on Tuesday, February 17, 2004.

Abstract: "When is a Hydrogen Bond Not a Hydrogen Bond?"

We all know what a hydrogen bond is* -- every droplet of water reminds us -- and it explains so economically such dramatic and significant phenomena that it is an essential part of our understanding of chemistry. As for every powerful notion, it is tempting to use it outside its proper context. We review theoretical characterization of the hydrogen bond and discuss the extension of the idea to CH..O interaction, providing some new examples. We address the question of hydrogen bonding in CH..Br systems, excited states and ionized systems, and offer alternative explanation for some phenomena hastily attributed to hydrogen bonding.

*IUPAC definition:
The hydrogen bond is a form of association between an electronegative atom and a hydrogen atom attached to a second, relatively electronegative atom. It is best considered as an electrostatic interaction, heightened by the small size of
hydrogen, which permits proximity of the interacting dipoles or charges. Both electronegative atoms are usually (but not necessarily) from the first row of the Periodic Table, i.e., N, O, or F. Hydrogen bonds may be intermolecular or
intramolecular. With a few exceptions, usually involving fluorine, the associated energies are less than 20-25 kJ mol-1
(5-6 kcal mol-1).

Faculty meeting in Graduate Student Lounge - Busch Campus Center

Center for Molecular Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry

presents

Jonathan Widom
Dept. of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology
Northwestern University

"Chromosome structure and gene regulation"
Website: http://widomlab1.biochem.northwestern.edu/~wdmgrp/

Date: Friday, Feb. 20, 2004
1:30 PM
Room 260, Wright-Rieman Laboratories
Busch Campus
Piscataway, NJ

For additional information:
Center for Molecular Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry
Phone: (732) 445-6376
E-Mail: mbcenter@rutchem.rutgers.edu

Center Events

Professor Alexander Greer will present a seminar on Tuesday, February 24, 2004.

Physical Organic Chemistry with a View Toward Chemical Evolutionary Processes

We are evaluating topics related to oxygen and sulfur chemistry, photochemistry, molecular toxicity, and chemical evolution with the idea that solutions to problems can result when different fields of discovery are brought together. We are interested with mechanistic questions of organic and natural substances, and with the application of physical-organic chemistry. Chemical processes involving oxygen can lead to unstable peroxides molecules such as three-membered ring dioxiranes 1-3. The stability of these heteroatom-containing dioxiranes varies widely, allowing new kinds of peroxide structure and reactivity to be explored. We have an interest in the mechanisms that arise from singlet oxygen (1O2), ozone, (O3), N-oxides, S-oxides, and other molecules that can transfer an oxygen atom regio- and stereoselectively.

A subject of interest to us is the historical order of chemicals and the progression of biochemical diversity. The insights into the emergence of chemicals of biotic origin could provide evolutionary biologists “chemical” tools to view the subject at the molecular level rather than one commonly based on organism morphology. Our recent investigation
of ortho fused polysulfanes will be described. A basic principle that may cause chemical evolution to select polysulfur structures is suggested since there exists an odd-even alternation in the stability of products, o-C6H4Sx (x = 1 to 8).

RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
LABORATORY FOR SURFACE MODIFICATION

Eighteenth Annual Symposium of the Laboratory for Surface Modification

Thursday February 26, 2004

Busch Campus, Piscataway
Fiber Optic Auditorium

      The Laboratory for Surface Modification (LSM) will host the Eighteenth Annual LSM Symposium on Thursday February 26, 2004.  The symposium will focus on experimental and theoretical studies of surfaces, interfaces and their applications, as well as nanoscale phenomena.   We will include both oral and poster presentations; contributed talks will be 15 minutes long (including short discussion).

     The program will include invited "Highlight Presentations" by Dr. Cherry Ann Murray (Lucent Technologies), Dr. Deborah Kuchnir Fygenson (UCSB) and Prof. Manish Chhowalla (Rutgers).

      This meeting will provide an excellent opportunity for Rutgers graduate students and postdocs to present their work in a friendly atmosphere.  Of course, faculty members are welcome to speak as well.

Center for Molecular Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry

presents

Sidney M. Hecht
Department of Chemistry
University of Virginia

"Molecular recognition of DNA and RNA by bleomycin"
Website: http://www.virginia.edu/chem/people/faculty/hecht/

Date: Friday, Feb. 27, 2004
1:30 PM
Room 260, Wright-Rieman Laboratories
Busch Campus
Piscataway, NJ

For additional information:
Center for Molecular Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry
Phone: (732) 445-6376
E-Mail: mbcenter@rutchem.rutgers.edu

Center Events