department of developmental biology

Professor and PNACL Director

Department of Developmenal Biology
Department of Medicine
Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry Laboratory

Research Interests

The main focus of the laboratory deals with the structural basis of allosteric control and its long term application to understanding control processes resulting >from protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions. This research focuses on an enzymatic regulatory mechanism that appears to have as its basis a relatively unique intermolecular-domain hinge that is modulated by an allosteric effector molecule. These studies will be conducted mainly with techniques that will allow visualization of the domains in static and dynamic states. Major techniques utilized will be, site-directed mutagenesis, kinetic analysis, fluorescent techniques, and x-ray crystallography. These studies are an integral step in the long term goals of this laboratory to determine the relationship between structure and function in conformationally regulated control mechanisms, to eventually relate that to the physiology and pathophysiology mediated by these enzymes and by analogous systems, and to eventually understand allosteric proteins well enough to be able to apply basic principles to more complex systems.

Grant Biosketch

Training:

• 1971: Iowa State University, Ames, IA. B.S. Biochemistry
• 1975: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Ph.D. Biochemistry
• 1975-78: Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Post-Doc. Protein Chemistry
  

Academic Positions (all at Washington University):

• Sept.'78-June'80: Research Asst. Prof. of Biochemistry in Medicine, Department of
  Medicine (Dermatology)
• July '80-Aug.'82: Research Asst. Prof. of Biochemistry in Medicine and Biological
  Chemistry, Department of Medicine (Dermatology) and Department of Biological Chemistry
• Sept.'82-Dec.'88: Assistant Professor of Biological Chemistry, and of Biochemistry in Medicine, Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Medicine (Dermatology)
• Sept.'82-Present: Director, Protein Chemistry Laboratory
• Jan. '89-Dec.'91: Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, and Department of Medicine
• Jan.'92-June '95: Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology and Department of Medicine
• July '95 - Present: Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, and Department of Medicine
  

Advisory Committees:

• 1992-1996: Regular Member, Biochemistry Study Section, Division of Research Grants, NIH
• 1992-1996: Executive Board Member, Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities
• 1992: Grants Review Panel, Missouri Heart Association
• 1993-1994: President, Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities
• 1994-present: Editorial Board, Letters in Peptide Science
• 1997-present: Editorial Board, Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics
• 1999-present: Editorial Board, Journal of Biomolecular Techniques
• July 2001: Editorial Board, Journal of Biological Chemistry

 

Selected Publications

Grant, G. A., Hu, Z. and Xu, X. L. (2001) Amino Acid Residue Mutations Uncouple Cooperative Effects in E. coli. D-3-Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 17844-17850.

Grant, G. A., Hu, Z. and Xu, X. L. (2002) Cofactor Binding to E. coli D-3 Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase Induces Multiple Conformations Which Alter Effector Binding. J. Biol. Chem. 277, 39548-39553.

Grant, G. A., Hu, Z. and Xu, X. L. (2003) Hybrid Tetramers Reveal Elements of Cooperativity in E. coli D-3- Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase. J. Biol. Chem. 278, 18170-18176.

Grant, G. A., Xu, X. L., and Hu, Z. (2004) Quantitative relationships of
site to site interaction in E. coli D-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase
revealed by asymmetric hybrid tetramers. J. Biol. Chem. 279, 13452-13460.

Bell, J. K., Grant, G. A., and Banaszak, L. J. (2004) Multi-conformational
States in Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase. Biochemistry 43, 3450-3458.

 

Contact Information

Gregory A. Grant
Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology
Washington University School of Medicine
Campus Box 8103
660 South Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
(314) 362-3367
ggrant@wustl.edu

Grant Lab Website

http://molecool.wustl.edu/GrantLab/

PNACL Website

http://molecool.wustl.edu/pnacl.home.html