Transition Metals in Biology
Our research visitors Lisa Gottschlich and Renate van der Meulen have finished their time with us and returned home to Germany and Holland via, respectively, the Great Barrier Reef and Indonesia!! Their work has contributed to the manuscript “Evaluation of quantitative probes for weaker Cu(I) binding sites completes a set of four capable of detecting Cu(I) affinities from nano-molar to atto-molar” which will be submitted at the end of the year.
Our paper in the Hans Freeman Memorial Issue of the Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry has now appeared: M. Zimmermann, S. Udegadara, C. M. Sze, T. Ryan, Z. Xiao and A. G. Wedd, “PcoE, a metal sponge in the periplasm of copper resistant E. coli” J. Inorg. Biochem. 2012, 115, 186-197.
The following paper, designated as an Edge Article by the journal, has now been published: “The Challenges of Using Fluorescent Sensor CS1 to Track Intracellular Cu”, Chemical Science, 2012, 3, 2748-2759. This was a collaboration with the White Group (Pathology) and the Donnelly Group (Chemistry) and showed that the chemical complexity of living cells can have diverse effects on the action of molecular probes designed to detect specific intracellular pools of copper. Dr Zhiguang Xiao contributed key thermodynamic and spectroscopic characterisation data.
In addition, the following article has appeared: “Photochemical Oxidation of Water and Reduction of Polyoxometalate Anions at Interfaces of Water with Ionic Liquids or Diethylether” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2012, 109, 11552-11557. This was a collaboration with the Bond Group at Monash. The work showed that classic polyoxometalate cluster anions are robust catalysts for the photo-oxidation of water when irradiated in the presence of ionic liquids (liquid salts) in solution.
Jens Brose has been awarded a speaking slot for his poster paper at the Biometals 12 Conference: “Can Human Glutaredoxin (hGrx1) Act as Both a Thiol-disulfide Oxido-reductase Enzyme and a Cu(I) Binding Protein ?”. Our former colleague Dr Lianyi Zhang (Centre for Oral Health, Melbourne) will also be speaking.
Professor Wedd is also attending the Biometals 12 Conference in Brussels and will present an invited paper entitled “Metallo-Oxidase Enzymes”.
Saumya Udagedara is returning to Sri Lanka for her marriage to Ashan Garusinghe who is an engineer. They will be coming back to Australia to commence married life.
Jens Brose has left for a vacation at home in Germany. While there, he will visit colleagues at the University of Frankfurt and then go on to the Biometals 12 Conference in Brussels, Belgium. He will present a poster paper entitled “Can Human Glutaredoxin (hGrx1) Act as Both a Thiol-disulfide Oxido-reductase Enzyme and a Cu(I) Binding Protein ?”.
Zhenyu Shi is celebrating receipt of the examiners reports for his PhD thesis: “Parallel DNA Assembly by Recombination”. The research was carried out in collaboration with Dr Sally Gras (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering).
Lisa Gottschlich has arrived to carry out a research project that is part of the requirements of her biochemistry diploma course at the Johann-Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
In addition, Renate van der Meulen has arrived for research associated with her Masters in Biomolecular sciences (specialization: Biological Chemistry) at the Free University of Amsterdam.
Gjoko Buncic is celebrating publication of his paper “Copper complexes of a novel non-innocent quadridentate ligand” in Chem. Commun 2012, 2570-2. It was selected to be the front cover for this issue of the journal.
Lee Xin Chong has received excellent examiners reports for her PhD thesis entitled “Molecular Characterization of Copper Tolerance and Resistance Proteins and Enzymes in Gram-Negative Bacteria”. She has joined the Commonwealth Serum Laboratory (CSL) as a research scientist. This is Australia’s largest pharmaceutical company.
Gjoko Buncic has received excellent examiners reports for his PhD thesis entitled “Synthesis and Application of Molecular Probes for Biologically Important Metal Ions”. He has been appointed as a research scientist with Clarity Pharmaceuticals, a spin-off company with Dr Paul Donnelly.
Dr Zhiguang Xiao and Professor Wedd attended the 2012 Conference of the International Society for Zinc Biology in Melbourne. Dr Xiao presented his lecture “The Art of Measuring Metal-Protein/peptide Affinities and A Case Study of Zinc Selectivity in Biology”.
Professor Wedd attended the RACI Inorganic Chemistry Conference IC11 in Perth WA and presented a lecture entitled “Molecular Pathways of Copper Uptake and Elimination”
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