NIH VideoCast - Shake, Rattle, and Roll: Capturing Snapshots of Ribonucleotide Reductase in Action

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Shake, Rattle, and Roll: Capturing Snapshots of Ribonucleotide Reductase in Action

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Air date:	Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 3:00:00 PM Time displayed is Eastern Time, Washington DC Local
Views:	Total views: 203 (121 Live, 82 On-demand)
Category:	WALS - Wednesday Afternoon Lectures
Runtime:	01:07:03
Closed captioning:	Check box to display CC outside of the video Note: You can drag the captioning window around and resize it
Description:	WALS Dr. Drennan is a professor of biology and chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a professor and investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research interests lie at the interface of chemistry and biology, combining X-ray crystallography with cryo-electron microscopy and other biophysical methods in order to "visualize" molecular processes by obtaining snapshots of metalloproteins in action. The use of radical-based chemistry allows for amazing transformations in living organisms. To carry out their functions, radical enzymes often need to be flexible and assume different conformational states. In this talk, the conformational gymnastics involved in ribonucleotide reduction will be considered. Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) are radical enzymes that convert ribonucleotides (the building blocks of RNA) to deoxyribonucleotides (the building blocks of DNA). RNRs are targets for cancer chemotherapies and have been proposed as candidates for antimicrobial therapies. Dr. Drennan will describe how her lab has employed biophysical methods to interrogate how RNRs shake, rattle, and roll to accomplish their critical cellular function.

NLM Title:	Shake, rattle, and roll : capturing snapshots of ribonucleotide reductase in action / Cathy Drennan, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Author:	Drennan, Cathy. National Institutes of Health (U.S.),
Publisher:
Abstract:	(CIT): Dr. Drennan is a professor of biology and chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a professor and investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research interests lie at the interface of chemistry and biology, combining X-ray crystallography with cryo-electron microscopy and other biophysical methods in order to "visualize" molecular processes by obtaining snapshots of metalloproteins in action.The use of radical-based chemistry allows for amazing transformations in living organisms. To carry out their functions, radical enzymes often need to be flexible and assume different conformational states. In this talk, the conformational gymnastics involved in ribonucleotide reduction will be considered. Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) are radical enzymes that convert ribonucleotides (the building blocks of RNA) to deoxyribonucleotides (the building blocks of DNA). RNRs are targets for cancer chemotherapies and have been proposed as candidates for antimicrobial therapies. Dr. Drennan will describe how her lab has employed biophysical methods to interrogate how RNRs shake, rattle, and roll to accomplish their critical cellular function.
Subjects:	Biological Transport Biosynthetic Pathways Molecular Targeted Therapy Ribonucleotide Reductases--biosynthesis Ribonucleotide Reductases--physiology
Publication Types:	Lecture Webcast

NLM Classification:	QU 140
NLM ID:	101774299
CIT Live ID:	38980
Permanent link:	https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=38980

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