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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

University Associate Professor

Research in my group can be divided into two areas, although these share a common theme of engineering metal protein interactions in novel ways.

One goal is to engineer novel proteins and polypeptide based assemblies that can be used in molecular electronic devices and nanotechnology in general. This involves understanding, at a fundamental level, how metal cofactors, particularly heme, is delivered to proteins in vivo and, in the case of c-type cytochromes, how heme is covalently attached to protein. It also involves understanding how functional protein units can be assembled into larger nanoscale assemblies that gain function through the proximity of the constituent monomers.

The other goal is to explore the interaction of 4d and 5d transition metals with proteins, particularly as a possible route to finding novel medicinal compounds. Specifically, Ruthenium organometallic complexes have shown some potential as anti cancer compounds, but little is understood about how the chemistry of Ruthenium interacts with biomolecules.

Research Interests

  • Self Assembly of Proteins into functional materials
  • Heme protein assembly and heme chaperones
  • Electrochemistry of Proteins
  • Heavy metal complexes and ther interaction with Proteins

Watch Dr Barker discuss his research

Publications

Selective lability of ruthenium(II) arene amino acid complexes
TG Scrase, MJ O'Neill, AJ Peel, PW Senior, PD Matthews, H Shi, SR Boss, PD Barker
– Inorganic chemistry
(2015)
54,
3118
Folates are potential ligands for ruthenium compounds in vivo
TG Scrase, SM Page, PD Barker, SR Boss
– Dalton Transactions
(2014)
43,
8158
Local Frustration Determines Molecular and Macroscopic Helix Structures
CJ Forman, SN Fejer, D Chakrabarti, PD Barker, DJ Wales
– The journal of physical chemistry. B
(2013)
117,
7918
Probing the location of displayed cytochrome b562 on amyloid by scanning tunnelling microscopy
CJ Forman, N Wang, ZY Yang, CG Mowat, S Jarvis, C Durkan, PD Barker
– Nanotechnology
(2013)
24,
175102
Structural Basis for Efficient Chromophore Communication and Energy Transfer in a Constructed Didomain Protein Scaffold
JAJ Arpino, H Czapinska, A Piasecka, WR Edwards, P Barker, MJ Gajda, M Bochtler, DD Jones
– J Am Chem Soc
(2012)
134,
13632
Continued surprises in the cytochrome c biogenesis story.
EB Sawyer, PD Barker
– Protein & Cell
(2012)
3,
405
The morphology of decorated amyloid fibers is controlled by the conformation and position of the displayed protein
CJ Forman, AA Nickson, SJ Anthony-Cahill, AJ Baldwin, G Kaggwa, U Feber, K Sheikh, SP Jarvis, PD Barker
– ACS Nano
(2012)
6,
1332
Metastability of Native Proteins and the Phenomenon of Amyloid Formation
AJ Baldwin, TPJ Knowles, GG Tartaglia, AW Fitzpatrick, GL Devlin, SL Shammas, CA Waudby, MF Mossuto, S Meehan, SL Gras, J Christodoulou, SJ Anthony-Cahill, PD Barker, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson
– Journal of the American Chemical Society
(2011)
133,
14160
Metal and redox selectivity of protoporphyrin binding to the heme chaperone CcmE
EM Harvat, O Daltrop, F Sobott, M Moreau, PD Barker, JM Stevens, SJ Ferguson
– Metallomics : integrated biometal science
(2011)
3,
363
Aberrant attachment of heme to cytochrome by the Ccm system results in a cysteine persulfide linkage.
EB Sawyer, E Stephens, SJ Ferguson, JWA Allen, PD Barker
– Journal of the American Chemical Society
(2010)
132,
4974
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Research Group

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 763096

Email address

pdb30@cam.ac.uk