Professor Sir Alan Fersht FRS | Page 13 | Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

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Our major research programme concerns the folding, stability and activity of proteins. We apply a broad multi-disciplinary approach that combines methods and ideas of molecular biology and physical-organic chemistry. We use techniques including protein engineering, DNA cloning, sequencing and mutagenesis, cell culture, gene and peptide synthesis, spectroscopy, rapid reaction techniques, multi-dimensional NMR (we have a 500, 600, 700 and an 800 MHz spectrometers) and x-ray protein crystallography.

Current major projects include: protein folding, misfolding and disease; drug discovery; and structure-activity relationships of proteins involved in cancer and disease.

Although now emeritus, I am still fully active in research with long term funding, including an MRC Programme Grant.

Publications

Conservation of Transition State Structure in Fast Folding Peripheral Subunit-Binding Domains

TD Sharpe, N Ferguson, CM Johnson, AR Fersht

– Journal of molecular biology

(2008)

383,

224

(doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.06.081)

The Aminoacyladenylate Mechanism in the Aminoacylation Reaction of Yeast Phenylalanyl‐tRNA Synthetase

F Fasiolo, AR Fersht

– The FEBS Journal

(2008)

85,

85

(doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1978.tb12214.x)

From the first protein structures to our current knowledge of protein folding: delights and scepticisms.

AR Fersht

– Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol

(2008)

9,

650

(doi: 10.1038/nrm2446)

Redesigning enzymes by site-directed mutagenesis.

AR Fersht, GP Winter

– Novartis Foundation Symposia

(2008)

111,

204

(doi: 10.1002/9780470720929.ch14)

Tumor suppressor p53 slides on DNA with low friction and high stability.

A Tafvizi, F Huang, JS Leith, AR Fersht, LA Mirny, AM van Oijen

– Biophysical journal

(2008)

95,

l01

(doi: 10.1529/biophysj.108.134122)

Structure of tumor suppressor p53 and its intrinsically disordered N-terminal transactivation domain

M Wells, H Tidow, TJ Rutherford, P Markwick, MR Jensen, E Mylonas, DI Svergun, M Blackledge, AR Fersht

– Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

(2008)

105,

5762

(doi: 10.1073/pnas.0801353105)

High temperature unfolding simulations of the TRPZ1 peptide

G Settanni, AR Fersht

– Biophysical journal

(2008)

94,

4444

(doi: 10.1529/biophysj.107.122606)

Demonstration by burst-phase analysis of a robust folding intermediate in the FF domain

P Jemth, CM Johnson, S Gianni, AR Fersht

– Protein engineering, design & selection : PEDS

(2008)

21,

207

(doi: 10.1093/protein/gzm091)

A Guide to Measuring and Interpreting Φ-values

NR Guydosh, AR Fersht

(2008)

1,

445

(doi: 10.1002/9783527619498.ch13)

Algorithm for prediction of tumour suppressor p53 affinity for binding sites in DNA

DB Veprintsev, AR Fersht

– Nucleic Acids Res

(2008)

36,

1589

(doi: 10.1093/nar/gkm1040)