JANE M. VANDERKOOI, Ph.D.

Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Location: 913A Stellar-Chance Building / 6059
Tel: (215) 898-8783
Fax: (215) 573-2042
Email: vanderko@mail.med.upenn.edu

Ph.D. St. Louis University (1971)

Vanderkooi BMB Graduate Group Page

DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Most organisms on earth literally exist in an ocean of water but some organisms survive dehydrating conditions. But ultimately all earthly life requires at least some water. The splitting of water in photosynthesis is the chemical step that transforms the energy of light into reactive chemicals, whereas the recombination of H and O to reform H₂O in respiration in the end yields energy for animal life. Water is also essential in aiding digestion of food, elimination of toxic waste products, transport of metabolites and temperature control.

However, a basic reason for the requirement of water by terrestrial life occurs at the molecular level: proteins and other biological macromolecules need water to properly fold into functional, unique and stable structures.

Dr. Vanderkooi is interested in studying the interaction between water and proteins. It is clear that water changes the structure and dynamics of protein macromolecules, and the protein reciprocates by changing properties of water. Infrared and optical spectroscopy and computation are used to determine kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for the study of the boundary region between water and protein. Present research projects are addressing how protein denaturants change water H-bonding, how protein / water interface determine the activity of anti-freeze proteins, and how some proteins can withstand high pressure and temperature.

1. Dashnau, J.L., L.K. Conlin, H.C.M. Nelson, and J.M. Vanderkooi (2008) Water structure in vitro and within Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells under conditions of heat shock. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1780:41-50.
2. Nucci, N.V., J.N. Scott, and J.M. Vanderkooi (2007) Solvent dependence of small aromatic molecule vibrations and electronics: Effect of varied on-ring and off-ring hydrogen-bonding substitutions. J. Chem. Phys. 112:4022-4035.
3. Scott, J.N., Nucci, N.V. and Vanderkooi, J.M. (2008) Changes in water structure induced by the quanidinium cation and implications for protein denaturation, J. Phys. Chem A. 112(43); 10939-10948.
4. Pentelute B.L., Gates Z.P., Tereshko V., Dashnau J.L., Vanderkooi J.M., Kossiakoff A.A., Kent S.B. (2008) X-ray structure of snow flea antifreeze protein determined by racemic crystallization of synthetic protein enantiomers. J. Am. Chem. Soc 130(30):9695-701.
5. Nucci, N.V., Scott, J.M. and Vanderkooi, J.M. (2008) Effects of salts of the Hofmeister series on the hydrogen bond network of water. J. Mol. Liquids 143:160-170.

For a complete listing of Dr. Vanderkooi's publications, click here