Research in our group is concerned with determining the molecular basis of
biological processes. We focus on the structure and function of proteins,
using X-ray crystallography to determine their 3D structures, and various
approaches to relate structure to function (kinetics, binding studies, recombinant
DNA methods, as appropriate). Some projects are directed towards the design
of new therapeutic drugs. Research is likely to involve
Students will also have the opportunity (in some projects) to learn techniques
of DNA manipulation and protein engineering.
Recent Publications
Arcus VL, Langley R, Proft T, Fraser JD and Baker EN
The three-dimensional structure of a superantigen-like protein, SET3, from a pathogenicity island of the Staphylococcus aureus genome.
Journal of Biological Chemistry. 277(35):32274-32281, 2002 Aug 30.
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Baker EN and Wittinghofer A
Proteins - from little acorns mighty oak trees grow - Editorial overview.
Current Opinion in Structural Biology. 12(6):743-745, 2002 Dec.
Baker EN, Baker HM and Kidd RD
Lactoferrin and transferrin: Functional variations on a common structural framework.
Biochemistry & Cell Biology-Biochimie & Biologie Cellulaire|Biochemistry and Cell Biology-Biochimie et Biologie Cellulaire. 80(1):27-34, 2002 Feb.
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Brittain T, Kidd RD and Baker EN
Electron transfer between cytochrome b(5) and some oxidised haemoglobins: the role of ionic strength.
Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 88(3-4):328-334, 2002 Feb.
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Jameson GB, Anderson BF, Breyer WA, Day CL, Tweedie JW and Baker EN
Structure of a domain-opened mutant (R121D) of the human lactoferrin N-lobe refined from a merohedrally twinned crystal form.
Acta Crystallographica Section D-Biological Crystallography. 58(Part 6 Special Issue 2):955-962, 2002 Jun.
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Kidd RD, Baker EN and Brittain T
A modeling study of the interaction and electron transfer between cytochrome b(5) and some oxidized haemoglobins.
Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry. 7(1-2):23-30, 2002 Jan.
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Peterson NA, Arcus VL, Anderson BF, Tweedie JW, Jameson GB and Baker EN
Dilysine trigger in transferrins probed by mutagenesis of lactoferrin: Crystal structures of the R210G, R210E, and R210L mutants of human lactoferrin.
Biochemistry. 41(48):14167-14175, 2002 Dec 3.
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Baker HM, Mason AB, He QY, MacGillivray RTA and Baker EN
Ligand variation in the transferrin family: The crystal structure of the H249Q mutant of the human transferrin N-lobe as a model for iron binding in insect transferrins.
Biochemistry. 40(39):11670-11675, 2001 Oct 2.
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Banfield MJ, Lott JS, Arcus VL, McCarthy AA and Baker EN
Structure of HisF, a histidine biosynthetic protein from Pyrobaculum aerophilum.
Acta Crystallographica Section D-Biological Crystallography. 57(Part 11):1518-1525, 2001 Nov.
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Banfield MJ, Salvucci ME, Baker EN and Smith CA
Crystal structure of the NADP(H)-dependent ketose reductase from Bemisia argentifolii at 2.3 angstrom resolution.
Journal of Molecular Biology. 306(2):239-250, 2001 Feb 16.
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Edwards RA, Whittaker MM, Whittaker JW, Baker EN and Jameson GB
Outer sphere mutations perturb metal reactivity in manganese superoxide dismutase.
Biochemistry. 40(1):15-27, 2001 Jan 9.
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Edwards RA, Whittaker MM, Whittaker JW, Baker EN and Jameson GB
Removing a hydrogen bond in the dimer interface of Escherichia coli manganese superoxide dismutase alters structure and reactivity.
Biochemistry. 40(15):4622-4632, 2001 Apr 17.
View Abstract
Haebel PW, Arcus VL, Baker EN and Metcalf P
LISA: an intranet-based flexible database for protein crystallography project management.
Acta Crystallographica Section D-Biological Crystallography. 57(Part 9):1341-1343, 2001 Sep.
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Harrak H, Azelmat S, Baker EN and Tabaeizadeh Z
Isolation and characterization of a gene encoding a drought-induced cysteine protease in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum).
Genome. 44(3):368-374, 2001 Jun.
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Kidd RD, Baker HM, Mathews AJ, Brittain T and Baker EN
Oligomerization and ligand binding in a homotetrameric hemoglobin: Two high-resolution crystal structures of hemoglobin Bart's (gamma(4)), a marker for alpha-thalassemia.
Protein Science. 10(9):1739-1749, 2001 Sep.
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Kidd RD, Mathews A, Baker HM, Brittain T and Baker EN
Subunit dissociation and reassociation leads to preferential crystallization of haemoglobin Bart's (gamma 4) from solutions of human embryonic haemoglobin Portland (zeta(2)gamma(2)) at low pH.
Acta Crystallographica Section D-Biological Crystallography. 57(Part 6):921-924, 2001 Jun.
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Kidd RD, Russell JE, Watmough NJ, Baker EN and Brittain T
The role of beta chains in the control of the hemoglobin oxygen binding function: Chimeric human/mouse proteins, structure, and function.
Biochemistry. 40(51):15669-15675, 2001 Dec 25.
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McCarthy AA, Baker HM, Shewry SC, Kagawa TF, Saafi E, Patchett ML and Baker EN
Expression, crystallization and preliminary characterization of methylmalonyl coenzyme A epimerase from Propionibacterium shermanii.
Acta Crystallographica Section D-Biological Crystallography. 57(Part 5):706-708, 2001 May.
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McCarthy AA, Baker HM, Shewry SC, Patchett ML and Baker EN
Crystal structure of methylmalonyl-coenzyme A epimerase from P-shermanii: a novel enzymatic function on an ancient metal binding scaffold.
Structure. 9(7):637-646, 2001 Jul 3.
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Moore SA, Kingston RL, Loomes KM, Hernell O, Blackberg L, Baker HM and Baker EN
The structure of truncated recombinant human bile salt-stimulated lipase reveals bile salt-independent conformational flexibility at the active-site loop and provides insights into heparin binding.
Journal of Molecular Biology. 312(3):511-523, 2001 Sep 21.
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