This Americas Program award will support collaborative research in biochemistry between Dr. David Jameson of the University of Hawaii and Dr. Juan Brunet of the Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile. The objective of the research is to characterize and quantify dynamic aspects of Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP), using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence methodologies, and investigate their relationship to various catalytic processes. These spectroscopic investigations will be important for comparison with similar information obtained in other heme enzymes. Horseradish Peroxidase is a hemeprotein, which catalyses the oxidation and peroxidation of a variety of organic and inorganic compounds and is an attractive model for protein dynamic studies. This work continues a successful and productive collaboration between the two scientists. The proposed time-resolved fluorescence measurements have not been included in previous studies, thus, the results of this research will provide useful new information about the structure and function of the HRP.
