个人简介

Ph.D. Concordia University

研究领域

Biotechnology Metabolomics Molecular Biology Plant Biology Proteomics Structural Biology

Plants produce a tremendous variety of aromatic compounds compared to other living organisms. Most of these compounds, referred to as central metabolites, are synthesized from a product of the shikimate pathway. Central metabolites are important for the structural integrity of plants and their protection from invading organisms. Other central metabolites include flavonoids and isoflavonoids, which are potential antioxidants with important nutritional benefits to humans. The regulation of the shikimate pathway is highly coordinated with the biosynthesis of these metabolites in plants. Some questions being addressed in our lab are: What are some of the biological cues that are involved in the regulation of the pathway? How can we take advantage of these regulatory processes to stimulate the shikimate pathway to enhance the biosynthesis of certain classes of central metabolites, especially those that are of nutritional importance? The shikimate pathway is also an attractive target for drug development because it is absent in humans, but is essential for the survival of microbes, fungi and likely apicomplexan parasites. These parasites include, Plasmodium falciparum, associated with the deadliest form of malaria, and Toxoplasma gondii, implicated in psychological disorders and toxoplasmosis. We are actively studying compounds that are potential inhibitors of enzymes of the shikimate pathway with the aim of developing novel drug compounds. As a protein biochemistry group, we utilize biochemical and biophysical approaches, such as recombinant protein production, protein modification, enzyme kinetics, protein crystallography, protein ligand screening, structural biology, proteomics, etc. to understand how proteins function and how we can modulate their activity.

近期论文

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Isolation and molecular characterization of the shikimate dehydrogenase domain from the Toxoplasma gondii AROM complex.Peek J, Castiglione G, Shi T, Christendat D.Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 2014 Mar-Apr;194(1-2):16-9 pubmed Identification of Novel Polyphenolic Inhibitors of Shikimate Dehydrogenase (AroE).Peek J, Shi T, Christendat D.J Biomol Screen 2014 Mar;19(7):1090-1098 pubmed Crystal structure and biochemical analyses reveal that the Arabidopsis triphosphate tunnel metalloenzyme AtTTM3 is a tripolyphosphatase involved in root development.Moeder W, Garcia-Petit C, Ung H, Fucile G, Samuel MA, Christendat D, Yoshioka K.Plant J. 2013 Nov;76(4):615-26 pubmed Sequencing and annotation of the Ophiostoma ulmi genome.Khoshraftar S, Hung S, Khan S, Gong Y, Tyagi V, Parkinson J, Sain M, Moses AM, Christendat D.BMC Genomics 2013;14:162 pubmed Insights into the function of RifI2: structural and biochemical investigation of a new shikimate dehydrogenase family protein.Peek J, Garcia C, Lee J, Christendat D.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 2013 Feb;1834(2):516-23 pubmed Structural and mechanistic analysis of a novel class of shikimate dehydrogenases: evidence for a conserved catalytic mechanism in the shikimate dehydrogenase family.Peek J, Lee J, Hu S, Senisterra G, Christendat D.Biochemistry 2011 Oct;50(40):8616-27 pubmed Structural and biochemical investigation of two Arabidopsis shikimate kinases: the heat-inducible isoform is thermostable.Fucile G, Garcia C, Carlsson J, Sunnerhagen M, Christendat D.Protein Sci. 2011 Jul;20(7):1125-36 pubmed ePlant and the 3D data display initiative: integrative systems biology on the world wide web.Fucile G, Di Biase D, Nahal H, La G, Khodabandeh S, Chen Y, Easley K, Christendat D, Kelley L, Provart NJ.PLoS ONE 2011;6(1):e15237 pubmed The crystal structure of Aquifex aeolicus prephenate dehydrogenase reveals the mode of tyrosine inhibition.Sun W, Shahinas D, Bonvin J, Hou W, Kimber MS, Turnbull J, Christendat D.J. Biol. Chem. 2009 May;284(19):13223-32 pubmed Evolutionary diversification of plant shikimate kinase gene duplicates.Fucile G, Falconer S, Christendat D.PLoS Genet. 2008 Dec;4(12):e1000292 pubmed A phylogenomic analysis of the shikimate dehydrogenases reveals broadscale functional diversification and identifies one functionally distinct subclass.Singh S, Stavrinides J, Christendat D, Guttman DS.Mol. Biol. Evol. 2008 Oct;25(10):2221-32 pubmed Identification of a functionally essential amino acid for Arabidopsis cyclic nucleotide gated ion channels using the chimeric AtCNGC11/12 gene.Baxter J, Moeder W, Urquhart W, Shahinas D, Chin K, Christendat D, Kang HG, Angelova M, Kato N, Yoshioka K.Plant J. 2008 Nov;56(3):457-69 pubmed