Determining the Role of the CooA Heme and its Environment in Carbon Monoxide Specific Sensing
Level of Education of Students Involved
Undergraduate
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Robert Clark
College
Arts and Sciences
Discipline(s)
Chemistry
ORCID Identifier(s)
Nicole Norfolk 0000-0001-9731-920X; Burke Niego 0000-0003-0516-2386; Antigone Wilson 0000-0001-5611-8866; Alexa Lederhaus 0009-0008-5680-3036
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Symposium Date
Spring 4-27-2023
Abstract
CooA is a protein found in Rhodospirillum rubrum (Rr) and Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans (Ch) and is both a carbon monoxide (CO) sensor and transcription factor. When CO binds to a CooA heme, the protein undergoes a conformational change that enables it to bind to DNA. The broader goal of this research is to obtain a mechanistic understanding of how the CooA heme iron, along with amino acids that are attached to that iron, enable CooA to act as a CO-specific sensor. Experiments have been performed involving the substitution of the heme center for other transition metals, specifically manganese, to determine the chemical or physical changes the protein undergoes. This project was evaluated using electronic absorbance (UV-Visible) spectroscopy to study the CooA iron/metal bonding environment and fluorescence spectroscopy to study CooA DNA binding. Preliminary results suggest the metal complex coordination number and porphyrin distortion influence the ability of the protein to bind DNA for the Ch homolog when the terminal, distal amino acid side chain is unbound from the metal center.
Recommended Citation
Norfolk, Nicole; Niego, Burke; Lederhaus, Alexa; and Wilson, Antigone, "Determining the Role of the CooA Heme and its Environment in Carbon Monoxide Specific Sensing" (2023). Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 1168.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/1168
