This five-year, $645,457 National Science Foundation project grant funds research at James Madison University to advance understanding of short-range electron transfer in metalloproteins. The Biological Sciences program aims to strengthen the biological sciences and address major problems facing the nation.
The university researchers will use computational modeling and experimental techniques to study ultrafast charge transfer reactions in a genetically modified cytochrome from Geobacter sulfurreducens. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations and biophysical methods including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography will test predictions about structural dynamics and kinetics. The work seeks to elucidate parameters controlling biological electron transfer over distances under 1 nanometer. It aims to fill gaps in knowledge of fundamental energy transduction steps and provide training for undergraduates. Findings will evaluate current computational approaches for predicting electron transfer rates and pathways in this important but underexplored short-range domain.
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