Jones, Alex - The University of Manchester

个人简介

Alex received a first class MChem from the Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester (2004). He was awarded a personal Colt Foundation PhD Fellowship (2004), cosponsored by the Electromagnetic Fields Biological Research Trust (EMFBRT). From 2008 to 2010 he worked as a research associate attached to the BBSRC Professorial Fellowship of Prof. Nigel S. Scrutton at the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre. In 2010 he was awarded a personal Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (hosted at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology) by the Colt Foundation, to whom he is now a Scientific Advisor. He is currently the first Research Fellow in Photon Science at the School of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and Photon Science Institute at the University of Manchester (awarded 2013).

研究领域

Broadly, our work is concerned with the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and (bio)molecules, and falls into the following themes. Photochemistry, Photocatalysis and Molecular / Synthetic Photobiology. To overcome our reliance on non-renewable energy sources, we increasingly turn towards Nature in an attempt to learn how it exploits energy from the sun. The ability of most plants and animals to respond to sunlight is crucial for their physiological function, and the methods by which they achieve this are diverse. Using mainly laser-based techniques (continuous wave to ultrafast; UV-visible / IR absorption; fluorescence) we study the biophysical mechanism of a number of photoreceptor proteins that depend on a range of chromophores. The ultimate goal is to develop bio-inspired molecular photoswitches, photocatalysts and light responsive smart materials. Magnetic Field Effects and Time Resolved EPR (TREPR). The radical pair mechanism (RPM) is a unique means by which even weak magnetic fields perturb (bio)chemical radical pair reactions. This can manifest, for example, as non-Boltzmann polarisation phenomenon in TREPR spectra or as variations in reaction yield or kinetics. We exploit these effects both as novel mechanistic probes and in the study of the effect (deleterious or otherwise) of weak, environment magnetic fields on biology. Instrument Development for Biophysical Investigation. We develop and use novel spectroscopies to detail the biophysical aspects of protein function and enzyme catalysis. In the past these have incorporated stopped-flow spectrophotometers, transient absorption apparatus, pulsed laser light, magnetic fields and various cw-light sources. We are primarily concerned with the influence of quantum effects on biochemical reaction dynamics.

近期论文

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Messiha H. L., Wongate T., Chaiyen P., Jones A. R.* and Scrutton N. S.*. Magnetic field effects as a result of the radical pair mechanism are unlikely in redox enzymes. Journal of the Royal Society. Interface. 2015; 12: eScholarID:240227 | DOI:10.1098/rsif.2014.1155 Marley R., Giachello C. N. G., Scrutton N. S. , Baines R.A.* and Jones A. R.*. Cryptochrome-dependent magnetic field effect on seizure response in Drosophila larvae. Scientific Reports. 2014 July; 4: eScholarID:228830 | DOI:10.1038/srep05799 Chen Z-G, Zietek M. A., Russell H. J., Tait S., Hay S., Jones A. R.* and Scrutton N. S.*. Dynamic-electrostatic model for the generation and control of high energy, radical intermediates by a coenzyme B12-dependent enzyme. ChemBioChem. 2013; 14: 1529-1533. eScholarID:200785 | DOI:10.1002/cbic.201300420 Jones A. R.,* Levy C., Hay S. and Scrutton N. S.*. Relating localised protein motions to the reaction coordinate in coenzyme B12-dependent enzymes. FEBS Journal. 2013; 280(13): 2997-3008. eScholarID:189197 | DOI:10.1111/febs.12223 Levy, C.; Zoltowski, B. D.; Jones, A. R.; Vaidya, A. T.; Top, D.; Widom, J.; Young, M. W.; Scrutton, N. S.; Crane, B. R.; Leys, D. Updated structure of Drosophila cryptochrome. Nature. 2013 March; 495(7441): E3-E4. eScholarID:190028 | DOI:10.1038/nature11995