Our group has two research interests, bioinorganic chemistry and protein engineering for the food industry.
The bioinorganic chemistry of nitrogen fixation
Our bioinorganic chemistry project investigates nitrogen fixation by the enzyme nitrogenase. Nitrogenase catalyzes following reaction:
N2 + 16 ATP + 16 e¯ + 8 H+ → 2 NH3 + H2 + 16 ADP + 16 Pi
This reaction is very important to agriculture since the product, ammonia (NH3), is a growth limiting plant nutrient. Our group studies the nitrogenase reaction mechanism and how bacteria regulate and maintain nitrogenase activity in the bacterial cell.
Nitrogenase is under attack by many cellular metabolites. How does the bacterium maintain nitrogenase activity?
For more information, please click here.
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Protein engineering for the food industry
The goal of the protein engineering project is to develop enzymes that are used to upcycle sunflower meal. Sunflower meal is a byproduct of sunflower oil production and usually discarded or used as animal fodder. This is unfortunate since sunflower meal is nutritious and has lots of potential to be used as an alternative baking flour.
Our group is collaborating with the Senger lab at Chapman to develop methods of processing sunflower meal so it can be turned into a baking ingredient.
How can we utilize the meal as a useful baking ingredient?
For more information, please click here.