Metal centers are essential and abundant cofactors in fundamental life processes such as respiration, photosynthesis, and carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur metabolism and the number and diversity of metalloproteins and the biological roles for metal centers continue to proliferate unabated. The functons of metal centers in biology include transporting small molecules such as oxygen and nitric oxide, mediating electron transport and radical generation, binding and activating substrates in wide variety of metalloenzymes, and regulating biological processes at the cellular level in response to metal, oxygen or nitric oxide concentrations and oxidative stress conditions. Moreover the reliance of life processes on metal ions that can be toxic to the cell at elevated concentrations has resulted in elaborate systems for the storage, transport, delivery, and biogenesis of metallocofactors. Progress in understanding the roles and assembly of metal centers in biological processes and in human health have greatly accelerated over the past 30 years with research efforts spanning a range of disciplines from genetics and microbiology to chemistry and biophysics that offer enormous potential for understanding life processes and human diseases at both the cellular and molecular levels. To this end, the Center for Metalloenzyme (CMS) at the University of Georgia was founded in 1986 in order to foster state-of-the-art multidisciplinary research and training in metallobiochemistry. The objective of this proposal is to recruit a tenure-track Assistant Professor with research interests in metallobiochemistry. The position would be located in the Chemistry Department and would utilize the facilities and expertise associated with the Center for Metalloenzyme Studies. We anticipate that the new hire will enhance and extend current expertise in biomedically important areas of metallobiochemistry research involving metal homeostasis, metal toxicity, metallocenter assembly, and mechanistic metalloenzymology.
Metal centers are essential cofactors in numerous human enzymes and proteins. A molecular-level understanding of the mechanism of metal homeostasis, metal toxicity, metallocofactor assembly and mechanistic metalloenzyme is important for understanding and treating genetic diseases associated with defects in metal metabolism or the function of specific metalloenzymes and in the rational design of drugs that can modify metalloenzyme activity.
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