Ph.D., City University of New York, 1981
Phone: 718-951-5000 x2845
Grant Support: NIH/NIAID, $1,700,000
Nature of Research
The work in the Magliozzo laboratory is devoted to learning about the structure and function of enzymes and especially metalloenzymes through the use of spectroscopic methods and kinetics measurements. Our favorite enzyme is currently catalase-peroxidase (KatG) from M. tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes TB. Most of the antibiotic resistance in TB-infected people throughout the world arises from mutations in the gene for the KatG enzyme, producing resistance to INH (isoniazid), the oldest antibiotic used to treat TB for over 50 years. We study the details of the mechanism of the wild-type and drug resistance mutant KatG enzymes and their interactions with isoniazid. KatG is a heme enzyme and therefore can be studied using optical, resonance Raman, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.
Lab Group:
The research team in this laboratory consists of post-docs, doctoral students in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Programs, Master’s degree students, undergraduates and high school students.
Funding sources:
The research has been funded since 1998 variously by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, by the National Science Foundation, by the City University of New York, and by a private agency, the New York Community Trust.
Collaborations:
We collaborate with leading scientists in a resonance Raman spectroscopy lab, a protein crystallography lab, TB research labs, theoretical chemistry/calculations lab (Andrzey Jarcezki in this department) and others.
Publications:
We publish two to four papers a year on KatG and other subjects, most often in the Journal of Biological Chemistry or Biochemistry
Rotation Projects
Do or Learn about:
Bacterial culture, molecular biology, protein purification (FPLC), HPLC, enzyme rapid kinetics (optical-stopped flow spectrophotometry, Rapid Freeze-Quench technique), spectroscopy including hands-on experience in EPR, protein radical reactions, Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC), general enzymology, bioinorganic chemistry of hemoproteins, drug chemistry, structural biology, chemical calculations.