Kevin Francis C.V. 12/3/2012
Kevin Francis
Department of Chemistry University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA E-mail: [email protected]
Education
2006 – 2011 PhD in Biochemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, GPA 3.86 Thesis Title: On the Biochemistry, Mechanism and Physiological Role of Fungal Nitronate Monooxygenase Advisor: Dr. Giovanni Gadda
2004 - 2007 M.S. in Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, GPA 3.81 Advisor: Dr. Giovanni Gadda
1999 - 2004 B.S. in Biology (Minor in Chemistry), Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, GPA 4.00
Professional Experience
2011 - present Postdoctoral Scholar, Chemistry Department, University of Iowa, Advisor: Dr. Amnon Kohen 2004 - 2011 Graduate Research Assistant, Chemistry Department, Georgia State University, Advisor: Dr. Giovanni Gadda
2010 - 2011 Visiting Scientist, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia - Trained with Dr. Jim C. Spain for the following - Fungal cultivation techniques - Mycelial and linear growth measurements
2004 – 2008 Graduate Teaching Assistant , Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia - TA for Biochemistry (Fall 2004, Spring 2005, Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Summer 2006, Summer 2007) - TA for graduate level Biochemistry (Fall 2006, Fall 2007) - Lab TA for Freshman Chemistry (Summer 2005) - TA for Enzymology (Fall 2005, Spring 2007, Spring 2008)
2007 Visiting Scientist, Brookhaven National Laboratories, Upton New York - Trained with Dr. Allen M. Orville for the following - Protein crystallization techniques - Crystal mounting techniques - Sample preparation for shipping of crystals 2003 – 2004 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Chemistry Department, Georgia State University, advisor: Dr. Giovanni Gadda 1
Familiar with the following techniques: protein expression and purification; enzyme kinetics; derivation of initial velocity equations for enzymatic reactions; anaerobic and aerobic stopped-flow spectrophotometry; substrate, solvent and multiple kinetic isotope effects; pH dependence studies, UV- visible spectrophotometry, flavin and protein fluorescence, anaerobic substrate reduction; enzyme- monitored turnover; nucleotide and protein electrophoresis; protein crystallization techniques; polymerase chain reaction; site-directed mutagenesis and cloning; bacterial and fungal cell culturing and growth curve measurements; standard word processing and bibliographic search software; ChemDraw Ultra, Chem3D Pro, KaleidaGraph 3.5 and 4.0; Pymol
Awards and Fellowships
2010 Chair’s Award (GSU Department of Chemistry) 2009 2009 Graduate Award for Outstanding Research at the Doctoral Level (GSU Department of Chemistry) 2008 Ambrose H. Pendergrast Fellowship (GSU Department of Chemistry) 2007 - present Molecular Basis of Disease Fellowship (GSU Collage of Arts and Sciences) 2007 3rd Prize in the Poster Competition at the 15th Suddath Symposium, Atlanta Georgia 2004 Georgia State University Academic Excellence Award 2003 -2004 Ronald E. McNair Research Fellowship 2001 National Dean’s List 2000, 2002 Faculty Scholarship Award 2000, 2001, 2002 Dean’s Scholarship Key 1999 Emerging Leaders Award 1999-2004 Hope Scholarship
Academic Activities
Peer-Reviewed Publications
1. Francis, K. , Nishino, S.F , Spain, J.C. and Gadda, G. (2012) A Novel Activity of Fungal Nitronate Monooxygenase; Detoxification of the Metabolic Inhibitor Proprionate-3- Niotronate. Arch. Biochem. Biophys , 521, 84-89
2. Gadda, G., and Francis, K. (2010) Nitronate Monooxygenase, a Model for Anionic Flavin Semiquinone Intermediates in Oxidative Catalysis. Arch. Biochem. Biophys , 493, 53-61
3. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. (2009) Kinetic Evidence for an Anion Binding pocket in the Active Site of Nitronate Monooxygenase. Bioorg. Chem. , 37, 167-172
4. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. (2009) Inflated Kinetic Isotope Effects in the Branched Mechanism of Neurospora crassa 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase. Biochemistry , 48, 2403-2410
5. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. (2008) The Nonoxidative Conversion of Nitroethane to Ethylnitronate in Neurospora crassa 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase is Catalyzed by Histidine 196. Biochemistry , 47, 9136-9144
6. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. (2006) Probing the Chemical Steps of Nitroalkane Oxidation Catalyzed by 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase with Solvent Viscosity, pH, and Substrate Kinetic Isotope Effects. Biochemistry , 45, 13889-13898
2 7. Francis, K. , Russell, B., and Gadda, G. (2005) Involvement of a Flavosemiquinone in the Enzymatic Oxidation of Nitroalkanes Catalyzed by 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase. J. Biol. Chem. 280, 5195-5204
8. Ghanem, M., Fan, F., Francis, K., and Gadda, G. (2003) Spectroscopic and Kinetic Properties of Recombinant Choline Oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis. Biochemistry, 42 , 15179-15188
Book Chapters
Gadda, G., Pennati, A., Francis, K. , Quaye, O., Yuan, H., Rungsrisuriyachai, K., Finnegan, S., Mijatovic, S., and Nguyen, T., (2008) Hydride Transfer Made Easy in the Oxidation of Alcohols Catalyzed by Choline Oxidase, Flavins and Flavoproteins 2008, Eds., Frago, S., Gomez-Moreno, C. and Medina, A., Prensas Universitarias de Zaragoza: Zaragoza, Spain; pp. 309-314
Oral Presentations (External):
1. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. “Branching of an Intermediate Formed during Turnover of N. crassa 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase Inflates the Observed Kinetic Isotope Effect for the Reaction” Isotopes 2009, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, May 28, 2009
2. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. “The Single Electron Transfer Mechanism of N. crassa 2- Nitropropane Dioxygenase ” University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, May 14, 2009
3. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. “Characterization of the Active Site Topology of Choline Oxidase,” 55 th Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Atlanta, Georgia, November 18, 2003
4. Francis, K., and Gadda, G. “Probing the Inhibition of Choline Oxidase by Glycine- Betaine,” Ronald E. McNair Scholar’s Research Conference, Delavan, Wisconsin, November 8, 2003
Oral Presentations (Internal):
1. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. “A Novel Function of Nitronate Monooxygenase: Detoxification of the Plant Toxin Propionate-3-Nitronate” Atlanta Flavin Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, January 27, 2011
2. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. “A Novel Function of Nitronate Monooxygenase: Detoxification of the Plant Toxin Propionate-3-Nitronate” 2010 Molecular Basis of Disease Research Day, Atlanta Georgia, May 21, 2010
3. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. “2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase as a Model to Understand Enzyme Catalysis” presented as a guest lecturer for Dr. Giovanni Gadda’s Biochemistry Class, Atlanta, Georgia, September 24, 2007
4. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. “Direct Observation of a Flavosemiquinone in the Reductive Half Reaction of 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase” Atlanta Flavin Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, September 28, 2006
3 5. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. “Biochemical and Mechanistic Investigations of a Novel Nitroalkane Oxidizing Enzyme: 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase from Neurospora crassa” Atlanta Flavin Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, December 12, 2004
Posters Presentation:
1. Gadda, G. and Francis, K. A Novel Function of Nitronate Monooxygenase: Detoxification of the Plant Toxin Propionate-3-Nitronate, Gordon Research Conference on Enzymes, Coenzymes and Metabolic Pathways, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, July 18-23, 2010
2. Francis, K. and Gadda, G. The Unconventional Catalytic Mechanism of Nitronate Monooxygenase, Trends in Enzymology: Bridging the Biology and Chemistry Interface, Monte Veritá-Ascona, Switzerland, June 13-17, 2010
3. Francis, K. and Gadda, G. A Novel Function of Nitronate Monooxygenase: Detoxification of the Plant Toxin Propionate-3-Nitronate, First Southeast Enzyme Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, April 10, 2010
4. Francis, K. and Gadda, G. Temperature and Kinetic Isotope Effects on the Nitronate Monooxygenase Catalyzed Reaction, Gordon Research Conference on Isotopes in Biological and Chemical Sciences, Galveston, Texas, February 14-22, 2010
5. Francis, K. and Gadda, G. Kinetic Evidence for Nitro Binding Pocket in the Active Site of 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase, Gordon Research Conference on Enzymes, Coenzymes and Metabolic Pathways, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, July 5-10, 2009
6. Gadda, G. and Francis, K. Branching of an Intermediate Formed during Turnover of N. crassa 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase Inflates the Observed KIE for the Reaction, Gordon Research Conference on Enzymes, Coenzymes and Metabolic Pathways, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, July 5-10, 2009
7. Francis, K. , Chapman, N. and Gadda, G. Mutation of Histidine 196 to Asparagine in N. crassa 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase Improves the Catalytic Efficiency of the Enzyme with Anionic Substrates, 2nd International Interdisciplinary Conference on Vitamins, Coenzymes, and Biofactors, Athens, Georgia, October 26-31, 2008
8. Francis K. and Gadda G. Partition Isotope Effects for Enzymatic Reactions Occurring Through Branched Mechanisms: The Observed Kinetic Isotope Effect in the 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase Reaction, Biotech Symposium 2008, Atlanta, Georgia, August 14-15, 2008
9. Gadda, G., Pennati, A., Francis, K., Quaye, O., Yuan, H., Rungsrisuriyachai, K., Finnegan, S., Mijatovic, S., Nguyen, T., and Orville, A.M. Hydride Transfer Made Easy in the Oxidation of Alcohols Catalyzed by Choline Oxidase, 16 th Symposium on Flavins and Flavoproteins, Jaca, Spain, June 8-13, 2008
10. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. Partition Isotope Effects for Enzymatic Reactions Occurring Through Multiple Pathways: The Observed Kinetic Isotope Effect in the 2- Nitropropane Dioxygenase Reaction, Gordon Research Conference on Isotopes in Biological and Chemical Sciences, Ventura, California, February 17-22, 2008
4 11. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. Probing the Non-Oxidative Tautomerization of Nitroethane to Ethylnitronate Catalyzed by 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase with pH and Substrate Kinetic Isotope Effects, 234 th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Boston, Massachusetts, August 19-23, 2007
12. Francis, K. , Belaineh M. and Gadda, G. The Mechanism of 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase: a Model for Flavin Semiquinone Intermediates in Enzymatic Catalysis, Experimental Biology 2007, Washington D.C., April 29, 2007
13. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. Role of the Anionic Flavosemiquinone in the Reductive Half-Reaction of 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase, 15 th Suddath Symposium, Atlanta, Georgia, March 30, 2007
14. Francis, K. , Belaineh M. and Gadda, G. Reductive Half Reaction of 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase: Involvement of a Electrostatic Catalyst in the Formation of an Anionic Flavosemiquinone, 20 th Enzyme Mechanism Conference, St. Pete Beach, Florida, January 3-6, 2007
15. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. The Oxidation of Nitroalkanes by 2- Nitropropane Dioxygenase: Involvement of a Flavosemiquinone in Catalysis, 231 st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, March 29, 2006
16. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. The Oxidation of Nitroalkanes by 2- Nitropropane Dioxygenase Involves of a Flavosemiquinone, 3rd Annual SER-CAT Symposium, Atlanta, Georgia, March 10, 2006
17. Menon, P., Fan, F., Ghanem, M., Francis, K. , Powell, N., Nguyen, T., Tolbert, A., and Gadda, G. Biochemical and Kinetic Characterization of Choline Oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis, South Eastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Atlanta, Georgia, November 18, 2003
18. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. Probing the Inhibition of Choline Oxidase by Glycine- Betaine: Structural and Mechanistic Characterizations of a Novel GMC Oxidoreductase, Ronald E. McNair Scholars Research Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, August 1, 2003
19. Francis, K. , and Gadda, G. Kinetic and Spectroscopic Studies on the Oxidized Form of Choline Oxidase, 11th Suddath Symposium, Atlanta, Georgia, March 12, 2003
Organizing Committees
Molecular Basis of Disease 2010 Research Planning Committee
Affiliations
American Chemical Society 2005 - present Golden Key International Honor Society 2001 – present
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