个人简介

Horace T. Morse—Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, 2006 George W. Taylor/ITAS Award for Distinguished Teaching, 2004 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 1994 American Cancer Society Junior Faculty Research Award, 1994

研究领域

Chemical Biology/Organic Chemistry

Our group is interested in understanding how proteins accelerate chemical reactions and how proteins recognize other molecules with high specificity. This information is useful for drug design and biotechnology applications. Two key areas that we are currently studying include the enzymology of protein prenylation reactions and protein engineering based on adipocyte lipid binding protein. We use a combination of organic chemistry, biochemistry and recombinant DNA methods to study these problems.

近期论文

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Wang, Y.-C.; Distefano, M. D. Synthesis and screening of peptide libraries with free C-termini. Curr. Topics Pept. Prot. Res. 2015, in press. Wang, Y.-C.; Distefano, M. D. Synthesis and screening of peptide libraries with free C-termini. Curr. Topics Pept. Prot. Res. 2015, in press. Mahmoodi, M. M.; Rashidian, M.; Zhang, Y.; Distefano, M. D., Application of meta- and para-Phenylenediamine as Enhanced Oxime Ligation Catalysts for Protein Labeling, PEGylation, Immobilization, and Release. Curr. Protoc. Protein Sci. 2015, 15.4.1-15.4.28. DOI: 10.1002/0471140864.ps1504s79 Palsuledesai, C. C.; Distefano, M. D., Protein prenylation: enzymes, therapeutics and biotechnology applications. ACS Chem. Biol. 2015,10, 51-62. DOI: 10.1021/cb500791f Wickramaratne, S.; Boldry, E.; Buehler, C.; Wang, Y.-C.; Distefano, M. D.; Tretyakova, N. Y., Error-prone Translesion Synthesis Past DNA-Peptide Cross-links Conjugated to the Major Groove of DNA. J. Biol. Chem. 2015, 920, 775-787. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M114.613638. Dozier, J. K.; Khatwani, S. L.; Wollack, J. W.; Wang, Y.-C.; Schmidt-Dannert, C.; Distefano, M. D. Engineering Protein Farnesyltransferase for Enzymatic Protein Labeling Applications. Bioconj. Chem. 2014, 25, 1203-1212. DOI: 10.1021/bc500240p Wang, Y.-C.; Dozier, J. K.; Beese, L. S.; Distefano, M. D. Rapid Analysis of Protein Farnesyltransferase Substrate Specificity Using Peptide Libraries and Isoprenoid Diphosphate Analogues. ACS Chem. Biol. 2014, 9, 1726-1735. DOI: 10.1021/cb5002312 Yeo, J. E.; Wickramaratne, S.; Khatwani, S.; Wang, Y.-C.; Vervacke, J.; Distefano, M. D.; Tretyakova, N. Y. Synthesis of Site-Specific DNA‚ÄìProtein Conjugates and Their Effects on DNA Replication. ACS Chem. Biol. 2014, 9, 1860-1868. DOI: 10.1021/cb5001795 Pravetoni, M.; Vervacke, J. S.; Distefano, M. D.; Tucker, A. M.; Laudenbach, M.; Pentel, P. R. Effect of Currently Approved Carriers and Adjuvants on the Pre-Clinical Efficacy of a Conjugate Vaccine against Oxycodone in Mice and Rats. PLoS ONE 2014, 9, e96547. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096547 Wollack, J. W.; Monson, B. J.; Dozier, J. K.; Dalluge, J. J.; Poss, K.; Hilderbrand, S. A.; Distefano, M. D. Site-Specific Labeling of Proteins and Peptides with Trans-cyclooctene Containing Handles Capable of Tetrazine Ligation. Chem. Biol. Drug Des. 2014, 84, 140-147. DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12303 Palsuledesai, C. C.; Ochocki, J. D.; Markowski, T. W.; Distefano, M. D. A combination of metabolic labeling and 2D-DIGE analysis in response to a farnesyltransferase inhibitor facilitates the discovery of new prenylated proteins. Mol. Biosys. 2014, 10, 1094-1103. DOI: 10.1039/C3MB70593E Schuld, N. J.; Vervacke, J. S.; Lorimer, E. L.; Simon, N. C.; Hauser, A. D.; Barbieri, J. T.; Distefano, M. D.; Williams1, C. L. The chaperone protein SmgGDS interacts with small GTPases entering the prenylation pathway by recognizing the last amino acid in the CAAX motif. J. Biol. Chem. 2014, 289, 6862-6876. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M113.527192 Vervacke, J. S.; Funk, A. L.; Wang, Y.-C.; Strom, M.; Hrycyna, C. A.; Distefano, M. D. A Diazirine-Containing Photoactivatable Isoprenoid: Synthesis and Application in Studies with Isoprenylcysteine Carboxyl Methyltransferase. J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 1971-1978. DOI: 10.1021/jo402600b Tolstyka, Z. P.; Richardson, W.; Bat, E.; Stevens, C. J.; Parra, D. P.; Dozier, J. K.; Distefano, M. D.; Dunn, B.; Maynard, H. D. Chemoselective Immobilization of Proteins by Microcontact Printing and Bio-orthogonal Click Reactions. ChemBioChem 2013, 14, 2464-2471. Rashidian, M.; Kumarapperuma, S. C.; Gabrielse, K.; Fegan, A.; Wagner, C. R.; Distefano, M. D. Simultaneous Dual Protein Labeling Using a Triorthogonal Reagent. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 16388–16396. Rashidian, M.; Dozier, J. K.; Distefano, M. D. Chemoenzymatic Labeling of Proteins: Techniques and Approaches. Bioconj. Chem. 2013, 24, 1277-1294. Ochocki, J. D.; Igbavboa, U.; Wood, W. G.; Arriaga, E. A.; Wattenberg, E. V.; Distefano, M. D. Evaluation of prenylated peptides for use in cellular imaging and biochemical analysis. Meth. Mol. Biol. 2013, 1088, 213-223. Ochocki, J. D.; Distefano, M. D. Prenyltransferase inhibitors: treating human ailments from cancer to parasitic infections. Med. Chem. Commun. 2013, 4, 476-492. Mahmoodi, M. M.; Rashidian, M.; Dozier, J. K.; Distefano, M. D. Chemoenzymatic Site-Specific Reversible Immobilization and Labeling of Proteins from Crude Cellular Extract Without Prior Purification Using Oxime and Hydrazine Ligation. Curr. Protoc. Chem. Biol. 2013, 5, 89-109. Wang, H.; Henry, O.; Distefano, M. D.; Wang, Y.-C.; Räikkönen, J.; Mönkkönen, J.; Tanaka, Y.; Morita, C. T. Butyrophilin 3A1 Plays an Essential Role in Prenyl Pyrophosphate Stimulation of Human Vγ2Vδ2 T Cells. J. Immunol. 2013, 191, 1029-1042. Vervacke, J. S.; Wang, Y.-C.; Distefano, M. D. Photoactive analogues of farnesyl diphosphate and related isoprenoids: design and applications in studies of medicinally important isoprenoid-utilizing enzymes. Curr. Med. Chem. 2013, 20, 1585-1594.