| People
- Faculty
- Professor:
Norbert O. Reich |
| Field(s): |
Biological Chemistry |
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| Email: |
reich@chem.ucsb.edu |
| Phone: |
(805)
893-
8368 |
Fax:
(805)
893-
4120 |
| Office: |
1142D Chem |
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Selected
Publications |
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Go
to Research Group website |
| Bio: |
Dr. Reich received his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco in 1984. After an NIH post-doctoral fellowship at UCSF, he joined the faculty at UCSB in 1987. His awards include: a Regent's Junior Faculty Fellowship (1987); an American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award (1991); and the UC President's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research (1994). |
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Current
Research
Our group is currently involved in the mechanistic and structural characterization of several enzymes. Major programs include projects in the areas of mammalian DNA methylation, redesign of bacterial restriction endonucleases and DNA methyltransferases, and ethylene formation by the plant enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid oxidase.
Mammalian DNA methyltransferase
DNA methylation is the major post-replicative modification of DNA in mammalians; overexpression of the mammalian C5 cytosine DNA methyltransferase causes cellular transformation, and inhibition of the enzyme prevents tumorogenesis. What role does the cytosine DNA methyltransferase play in creating the patterns of DNA methylation known to be critical for tissue-specific and developmentally regulated gene expression, cancer and genetic imprinting? What cellular processes occur which regulate the enzyme's specificity (e.g., other proteins, post-translational modification, interaction with RNA)?
Bacterial restriction endonucleases (ENases) and DNA methyltransferases (MTases)
ENases and MTases are used in recombinant DNA manipulations and, thus, have significant commercial interest to the biotechnology industry. They are excellent model systems for obtaining detailed structural and mechanistic understanding of sequence-specific DNA recognition and modification. What are the structural and mechanistic bases for the sequence-specific modification of DNA by these enzymes? What is the chemical mechanism of methyl transfer and phosphodiester bond cleavage? Can new enzymes be engineered to modify different DNA sequences?
Plant ethylene formation
Ethylene is produced by all plants and is a key growth hormone; its biosynthesis and control of plant growth are extremely important to the agricultural community. Ethylene is biosynthesized by an enzyme from 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC). What is the tertiary structure and catalytic mechanism of this non-heme iron, oxygen-dependent enzyme? What novel metallo-enzymology enables this enzyme to catalyze this unusual transformation. Can these insights lead to the development of new ACC oxidase inhibitors or alternative strategies for crop management?
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| Selected
Research Publications |
| GATC Flanking Sequences Regulate Dam Activity: Evidence for how Dam Specificity may Influence pap Expression. Peterson SN, Reich NO. J Mol Biol. 2006 Jan 20;355(3):459-72. |
| DNA methylation modulates Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium virulence in Caenorhabditis elegans Javin P. Oza, Jimmy B. Yeh, Norbert O. Reich. FEMS Microbiology Letters 245 (2005) 53-59. |
| Controlled Spacing of Cationic Gold Nanoparticles by Nanocrown RNA Alexey Y. Koyfman, Gary Braun, Sergei Magonov, Arkadiusz Chworos, Norbert O. Reich, and Luc Jaeger. J. AM. CHEM. SOC. 2005, 127, 11886-11887. |
| Nanometal Surface Energy Transfer in Optical Rulers, Breaking the FRET Barrier C. S. Yun, A. Javier, T. Jennings, M. Fisher, S. Hira, S. Peterson, B. Hopkins, N. O. Reich, and G. F. Strouse. J. AM. CHEM. SOC. 2005, 127, 3115-3119. |
| Gold Nanoparticle Decoration of DNA on Silicon Gary Braun, Katsuhiko Inagaki, R. August Estabrook, D. K. Wood, Eran Levy, A. N. Cleland, Geoffrey F. Strouse, and Norbert O. Reich. Langmuir 2005, 21, 10699-10701. |
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