Biochemistry: Structure and function of heme-dependent enzymes
Our laboratory is interested in the relationship between an enzyme’s structure and its catalytic function in biological systems. In particular, we focus on enzymes that require the organometallic cofactor heme in order to function. Heme is used by a surprisingly broad range of enzymes to accomplish an equally broad range of biologically essential tasks. For example, these enzymes are central to metabolizing foreign compounds, safely disposing of H2O2 (a toxic side product of aerobic metabolism), and mounting an effective immune response. In spite of the many and very different functions accomplished by heme-dependent enzymes, each of them relies on this organometallic molecule to accomplish the job. Clearly, the protein structure surrounding the heme group is what dictates the unique catalytic abilities of each heme-dependent enzyme.