Inorganic Chemistry Seminar: Amie K. Boal, Pennsylvania State University
Inorganic Chemistry Seminar: Amie K. Boal, Pennsylvania State University (Host: Laura Dassama)
About the Seminar
"Watching metalloenzymes at work"
Structures of bioinorganic catalysts can often uniquely rationalize important aspects of chemical and biological reaction control. My research group studies the structural differences between members of large metalloenzyme superfamilies that share common characteristics but trigger different reactions or use distinct cofactors. We have initially focused on systems unified in their ability to activate strong C-H, N-H, or O-H bonds. Key objectives include identification of the outcome-dictating structural features of a given catalyst and structure-guided reprogramming for new function. To achieve these ends, we determine stable reactant and product complexes, with an increasing focus on development and implementation of crystallographic approaches to study metalloenzyme reaction intermediates. These experiments are challenging due to the fleeting and reactive nature of these states but uniquely informative because of the fully contextualized view they provide at critical points in the catalytic cycle.
About the Speaker
Amie K. Boal received a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2008 from the California Institute of Technology with Jacqueline K. Barton. She was a postdoctoral scholar in the Molecular Biosciences Department at Northwestern University from 2009-2013 with Amy C. Rosenzweig, funded by the NIH via a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award and a Pathway to Independence Award. In 2013, she joined the faculty at Penn State in the Departments of Chemistry and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her independent research program focuses on understanding the structural basis for mechanism and function in diverse families of metalloenzymes. The Boal research group has been supported by the Searle Scholars Program, an NIH MIRA grant, and the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Program.