Gudrun Lukat-Rodgers

Research Professor

Faculty

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Gudrun Lukat-Rodgers smiling confidently at the camera

Areas of Study & Research

Heme proteins play an important role in many biological processes. Three types of heme proteins are under inves-tigation in my research. The first class includes proteins like heme-binding protein A which is important in heme sequestering in Haemophilus influenzae. The second class is catalase-peroxidases, in particular, Mycobacterium tuberculosis KatG which is necessary for the activation of the antitubercular drug isonazid against tuberculosis. The third class is heme-based sensor proteins which are responsible for monitoring the presence of small mole-cules (like O2, CO or NO) and initiating the appropriate response. Spectroscopic techniques, like resonance Raman, UV-visible absorbance and electron spin resonance, along with reaction kinetics, followed by transient absorbance, are used to probe the structure function relationships in these various heme proteins.

Education

  • PhD: Iowa State University
  • Postdoc: University of Iowa
  • Postdoc: Princeton University