Chemistry PhD Final Defense — Shane Kelly
About the event
Title: New strategies for the design of reactive sulfur/nitrogen species releasing systems
Abstract:
Reactive sulfur species are a group of sulfur-based small molecules and functional groups which mediate critical biological functions like signal transduction and REDOX equilibrium maintenance. Of this group, one sits at the critical junction between oxidative damage and REDOX equilibrium. For protein cysteine, the sulfenic acid can be a bridge to oxidative protection, or it can be the first step towards irreparable oxidative damage. Instability of the sulfenic acid hinders its study and necessitates in situ generation. Current methodology for production is not compatible with the biological systems for which its study is needed. Herrin, efforts to produce a biologically compatible donor strategy and simultaneous discovery of a novel reaction mechanism are explored. This mechanism is utilized in production of the antioxidant Allicin.
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitric oxide (NO) are two well-known members of the gasotransmitter family and as such, they play an important role in cell signaling and are known to affect each other via crosstalk. However, the 1 e– reduced form of NO, nitroxyl (HNO), has been shown to possess distinctly advantageous pharmacology compared to NO. H2S and HNO both require donor molecules for in situ generation so a dual donor has been developed, which will produce both from a single retro-Diels-Alder trigger. Investigations in Proteomics will also be discussed.