Insights Into 5-Lipoxygenase Active Site and Catalysis Sunayana Mitra Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2015 Insights into 5-Lipoxygenase Active Site and Catalysis Sunayana Mitra Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Recommended Citation Mitra, Sunayana, "Insights into 5-Lipoxygenase Active Site and Catalysis" (2015). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3000. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3000 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. INSIGHTS INTO THE 5- LIPOXYGENASE ACTIVE SITE AND CATALYSIS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Biological Sciences by Sunayana Mitra B.S., Nagpur University, 2005 M.S., Nagpur University, 2007 August 2015 Dedicated to Ma and Baba, (Mom and Dad) ii कर्मणयेवाधिकारते र्ा फलेष ु कदाचन। र्ा कर्मफलहेतर्ु मर्ामभ ते सङ्गोऽ्वकर्मधण। (2.47, the Bhagvad Geeta) (Do your duties without thinking of gains or losses, let not the fruits of labor be your motivation and let not be faulted of not doing) iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ever since I was a little kid I have always wanted to become a scientist. Even though back then I had perhaps only a very vague idea of what that really entails. I think it was fed into my head by mother, even though completely unintentionally, when she used to call me her ‘scientist daughter’. And the reason for that was my unending fascination with screwdrivers and the things you could unscrew with them! I remember opening up every last toy I received that had even one screw to see how it worked and what went inside. Of course my lack of expertise in such matters meant that I had a basket full of toys which I could never put back together in working condition. So firstly I would like to thank that person who taught me how a screw driver works at age 3. I am not sure if it was my father or someone else, but that really fueled my inquisitiveness which is still going pretty strong. I have also being really lucky to have some wonderful teachers during the years, without whom I would not have found my way and reached this point here. The very first name that comes into my mind is Mrs. Bhattacharya who inspired me to be confident while speaking in English. I am still indebted to her for giving me the gift of language. I would also like to that Ms.Rita Poothia, who always inspired me to think out of the box and outside textbooks. I would probably left biology out completely after my tenth grade to focus on my love of physics. But by the twelfth grade I realized that Biology is after all what I really love. I would also like to thank friends from school, who have still kept touch with me and are always concerned about my wellbeing. Thank you Mr. Santosh K. Dash and Dr. Suchismita Datta for being there, always. Moving on to my undergraduate years, I am highly indebted to Dr. Kakoli Upadhyay for instilling in me the passion for science and research. She has been instrumental in steering me to major in Biochemistry and Chemistry. I am also extremely thankful to Dr. Avinash Upadhyay, iv my mentor and advisor during my Masters’, to inspire me to think objectively and not rely solely on bookish knowledge alone even when it comes to understanding fundamentals in Science and question everything! He was always there to patiently answer my unending questions about pretty much every topic that was ever covered during those two years. Academics apart his guidance and support to me in times good and bad when I was all by myself in an unfamiliar place. Thank you Kakoli Ma’am and Avinash Sir for being there for me. When you are extremely shy and introverted and find yourself in a new city miles away from home and you are all by yourself for the first time in life, friends become the only family that you can count one. I can’t thank enough all the roommates from different hostels, I had a chance to share my life with during my years Undergrad and Masters’ in Nagpur City. They made it possible for me to live without seeing my family for years together at time. Thank you Ms Sayma Khan for being the awesome friend you are. I also want to thank Ms Nishigandha Naidu, Ms Kanta Upadyaya, Ms Divya Chowdhary and everybody else who made it a little easier to live independently. I think that the experiences are helping me even now that I so far away. I also was fortunate enough to make some wonderful friends during the same period who have been extremely kind and caring. Thank you Mr. Robin Asati and Dr, Tanushree Pandit for being the most wonderful friend anyone could ever ask for. Thank you guys for putting up with me, in spite of all my eccentricities and quirks, and sticking with me through thick and thin. I can’t imagine my life without you guys. I came to LSU in fall 2008 to begin my stint as a graduate student in the Biochemistry PhD program. Again being in completely alien surrounding, I could not have managed without the kind help people gave right from the moment I arrived all the way from India. Thank you so v much Dr. Sreerupa Ray for being the most helpful and kindest roommate I could have ever asked for. I also would like to thank Dr. Sona Chowdhury, Mr Pratik Dhar and Ms Sanchita Dhar for being kind enough to help me set up my life here in Baton Rouge. Even though things did not work out as planned, I was given another chance at it due to the extreme kindness of Dr. Marcia Newcomer. I will always be indebted to her for her acceptance of me in her lab without any hesitation. She has always meticulously guided me through the nitty gritty of protein research, a hitherto unfamiliar subject for me. I am also highly appreciative of her immense patience in working with me. I know I am not an easy person to work with and I thankful to her she for looking past my transgressions and steering me in the right direction nonetheless. I would also like to thank my committee members Dr. Anne Grove and Dr. Diana Williams for their valuable advice and support. Dr. Williams also generously allowed me to utilize the facilities at the Hansen’s disease Center to train in molecular techniques. Her kind words of encouragement have always inspired me to not give up. I would like to thank Dr. Frank Andrews for his valuable time in participating as the Dean’s representative. I would like to thank Dr. Nathaniel Gilbert for getting me started in the lab. I would also like to thank Dr. Günes Bender for being a wonderful friend and guide inside and outside the lab. I would like to thank Dr. Vijai Krishnan for being my friend, philosopher, guide and so much more. You have been my rock though the years and I hope I have your support in future as well. I don’t think I would have managed to finish the program without you. Thank you Vijai for holding my hand through the tough times and thank you for your gift of humor that always helps cut through all my intensity. vi I would also like to thank my other pillar of support, my mother Ms. Susmita Mitra. She has not only single handedly raised me and my sister without complaints, but has always being there for me whenever whether near or far. Thank you Ma for letting me follow my heart in spite of our difficult life situations. I really do hope Ma that I have not disappointed you too much. I would also like to thank my sister Ms. Suhasini Mitra, who although years younger to me, has always been much more worldly wise. She has always had valuable advice for her naïve older sister. I would like to thank my cousin brother Mr. Sudipta Mitra for always being ready with all kinds help and advice whenever I needed them. And I would like to also thank my Uncle Mr. Anjan Sen and Aunt Mrs Sucheta Sen for their love and support. I would also like to thank my late grandmother Ms Atasi Dey for being the ideal I will always look up to. For a women born in her day and age she was not only college graduate majoring in mathematics, she was also heavily involved in organizations aimed at training and rehabilitation of oppressed and abused women in her adult life. Dida you will always be an inspiration. Finally this section would be incomplete without thanking my late father. Even though we got spent little time together Baba, I will cherish those fond memories for lifetime. Thank you for all the love and affection you had for me. Thank you for always fulfilling my every wish big and small. An even though you are no longer physically here with me, thank you for always guiding me in spirit. I really hope, that at least partially, I have become the woman you wanted me to become.