Faculty Sponsor

Robert Clark

College

College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)

Department/Program

Chemistry

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Summer 7-22-2026

Abstract

This project builds upon the Clark research team's goal of understanding how the transcription factor CooA (carbon monoxide oxidation activator) activates its DNA-binding function upon changes at its heme domain (i.e., an iron porphyrin complex) when bound to carbon monoxide (CO). This research has broader implications, as analogous gas-sensing proteins are potential drug targets. Previous work showed that replacing heme with a different metalloporphyrin activated DNA-binding even without carbon monoxide. However, it is poorly understood how these changes at the heme domain activate DNA-binding, which takes place remotely. This study will investigate  how the heme group affects CooA's structure by employing chemical denaturation to elucidate differences in thermodynamic stability with various metalloporphyrins and using circular dichroism to characterize changes in the protein's secondary structure.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Micah is a rising senior majoring in biochemistry with a minor in humanities. As part of her honors research, she investigates the thermodynamic stability of the gas-sensing protein CooA using spectroscopic and biochemical techniques. She has previous research experience in environmental chemistry and pharmaceutical biology, including cell culture-based drug studies. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry and conduct biomedical research focused on disease-related molecular mechanisms and developing future therapeutics.

Download

Share

COinS