Research in the SJE Lab

The Elliott Group has multi-disciplinary interests that span redox enzymology, electrochemistry / electrocatalysis, microbiology and the use of spectroscopy to study redox active proteins and enzymes. We study a wide range of multi-electron redox enzymes containing multiple redox cofactors, using direct electrochemistry and electrochemical methodologies to bear upon problems in mechanistic enzymology and the development of protein-based electrodes. Areas of chemistry of interest to us include: long-range electron transfer achieved by multi-heme cytochromes, multi-electron reductions of nitrite and sulfite reduction, bacterial peroxidase activities, and CO₂ reduction catalyzed by metalloproteins.

Moving the Electrons

In the Elliott Group our overall objective is to understand the ways in which life makes use of energy by engaging in electron transfer reactions. Spanning interests in biological solutions or inspiration for the Energy Sciences to the need to  understand redox homeostasis and oxidative stress response — the core chemistry at work is redox chemistry: how electrons are transferred, manipulated and utilized in biology.

Enzymology, protein electrochemistry and spectroscopy are all approaches that allow us to probe, at the level of molecular detail, the  redox reactions that are  at work in the natural world around us.

Current Projects

There are three main areas of work in the SJE Lab currently. We are fortunate that all three projects have federal support at this time, and thank the NIH, NSF, and DOE for the support of the work we do.

1. Redox enzymology of AdoMet Radical enzymes
2. Structural / Function Relationships in the bacterial cytochrome c peroxidase superfamily
3. Metallobiochemistry of CO₂ transforming enzymes

Collaborators

We are lucky to have many great collaborative interactions, including: