Don Spratt
Associate Professor, Chemistry
Scholarly Interests
Enzymes, Ubiquitin, HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases, NMR Spectroscopy, Protein-Protein Interactions, STEM Outreach, Career Development
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Don Spratt is an Associate Professor in the Gustaf H. Carlson School of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Director of STEM Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities at Clark University. His NIH and MLSC funded research group focuses on the structural and mechanistic studies of the HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases using biophysical approaches including NMR spectroscopy. Dr. Spratt was a 2021 Jack W. Lund Clark Community Achievement Awardee for his initiative to make STEM education and laboratory research experience real for hundreds of high school students across the Worcester region. He was a 2022 Hodgkins Junior Faculty Awardee for excellence in research, teaching, and service. He is an active member of the Protein Society.
Prior to joining Clark University in 2015, he was a postdoctoral fellow and research associate in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario where he examined proteins involved in the ubiquitylation-signaling pathway. He was the recipient of postdoctoral fellowship awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Waterloo and his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from Mount Allison University.
Courses Offered:
CHEM 030 - Kitchen Chemistry
BCMB 271 - Biochemistry I
BCMB 272 - Biochemistry II
BCMB 275 - Protein Chemistry
BCMB 277 - Enzyme Reaction Mechanisms
CHEM 289 - LEEPing into a Science CareerDegrees
- Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Waterloo, 2008
- B.S. in Biochemistry, Mount Allison University, 2003
Affiliated Department(s)
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Scholarly and Creative Works
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Exchange broadening underlies underlies the enhancement of IDE-dependent degradation of insulin by anionic membranes
Published in ACS Omega
July
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2022
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Vol. 7
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Issue #28
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Small molecule gankyrin inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for breast and lung cancer
Published in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
June
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2022
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Vol. 65
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Issue #13
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Redefining the Catalytic HECT Domain Boundaries for the HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Family
Published in Bioscience Reports
September
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2022
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Vol. 42
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Issue #10
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2022
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Intersection of Redox Chemistry and Ubiquitylation: Post-Translational Modifications Required for Maintaining Cellular Homeostasis and Neuroprotection
Published in Cells
August
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2021
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Vol. 10
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Issue #8
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Differential Effects of Polyphenols on Insulin Proteolysis by the Insulin-Degrading Enzyme
Published in Antioxidants
August
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2021
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Vol. 10
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Issue #9
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HERC5 and the ISGylation Pathway: Critical Modulators of the Antiviral Immune Response
Published in Viruses
June
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2021
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Vol. 13
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Issue #6
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2021
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ClarkU Worcester County High School STEM Careers Outreach (Online & In-person)
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2021
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2021
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Exploring the Roles of HERC2 and the NEDD4L HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Subfamily in p53 Signaling and the DNA Damage Response
Published in Frontiers in Oncology
March
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2021
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Vol. 11
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Structural Insights into Ankyrin Repeat-Containing Proteins and Their Influence in Ubiquitylation
Published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences
January
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2021
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Vol. 22
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Issue #2
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How ubiquitin determines the fate of our proteins
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2020
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Five practical tips for a successful career in STEM
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2020
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An Angelman syndrome substitution in the HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase C-terminal Lobe of E6AP affects protein stability and activity
Published in PLoS ONE
July
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2020
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Vol. 15
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Issue #7
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HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases - emerging insights into their biological roles and disease relevance
Published in Journal of Cell Science
April
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2020
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Vol. 133
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Issue #7
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Chapter: New Discoveries on the Roles of "Other" HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases in Disease DevelopmentPublished by IntechOpen
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2020
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Crystal structure of the catalytic C-lobe of the HECT-type ubiquitin ligase E6AP
Published in Protein Science
January
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2020
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Vol. 29
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Issue #6
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A subset of calcium-binding S100 proteins show preferential heterodimerization
Published in The FEBS Journal
January
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2019
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Vol. 286
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Issue #10
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Rapid and efficient purification of Drosophila homeodomain transcription factors for biophysical characterization
Published in Protein Expression and Purification
February
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2019
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Vol. 158
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The HECT C-terminal lobe of HERC6 reveals a unique autoinhibitory domain swapping mechanism
Young Investigator Talk, Protein Society
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Boston MA
July
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2018
Sponsored by 32nd Protein Society Annual Symposium, Protein Society
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Resveratrol sustains insulin-degrading enzyme activity toward Abeta42
Published in ACS Omega
October
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2018
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Vol. 3
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Issue #10
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Enzyme kinetics from circular dichroism of insulin reveals mechanistic insights into the regulation of insulin-degrading enzyme
Published in Bioscience Reports
November
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2018
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Vol. 38
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Issue #6
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1H, 13C, and 15N resonance assignments of the C-terminal lobe of the human HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase ITCH
Published in Biomolecular NMR Assignments
September
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2018
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Vol. 13
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Issue #1
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The longest amyloid-beta precursor protein intracellular domain produced with Abeta42 forms beta-sheet-containing monomers that self-assemble and are proteolyzed by insulin-degrading enzyme
Published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience
August
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2018
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Vol. 9
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Issue #12
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Generation of phospho-ubiquitin variants by orthogonal translation reveals codon skipping
Published in FEBS Letters
May
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2016
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Vol. 590
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Issue #10
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Suramin inhibits cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligases
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
March
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2016
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Vol. 113
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Issue #14
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Disruption of the autoinhibited state primes the E3 ligase parkin for activation and catalysis
Published in The EMBO Journal
August
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2015
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Vol. 34
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Issue #20
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Pivotal role for the ubiquitin Y59-E51 loop in lysine 48 polyubiquitination
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
June
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2014
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Vol. 111
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Issue #23
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RBR E3 ubiquitin ligases: new structures, new insights, new questions
Published in Biochemical Journal
February
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2014
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Vol. 458
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Issue #3
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A snapShot of ubiquitin chain elongation: lysine 48-tetra-ubiquitin slows down ubiquitination
Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
January
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2014
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Vol. 289
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Issue #10
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Structure of the HHARI catalytic domain shows glimpses of a HECT E3 ligase
Published in PLoS ONE
August
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2013
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Vol. 8
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Issue #8
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A molecular explanation for the recessive nature of parkin-linked Parkinson'€™s disease
Published in Nature Communications
June
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2013
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Vol. 4
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Issue #1
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Structure and dynamics of calmodulin (CaM) bound to nitric oxide synthase peptides: effects of a phosphomimetic CaM mutation
Published in Biochemistry
April
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2012
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Vol. 51
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Issue #17
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Selective recruitment of an E2~ubiquitin complex by an E3 ubiquitin ligase
Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
March
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2012
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Vol. 287
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Issue #21
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Expression and purification of an isotopically labeled aggregation prone inducible nitric oxide synthase calmodulin-binding protein for use in nuclear magnetic resonance studies
Published in Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmaceuticals
April
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2011
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Vol. 54
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Issue #10
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Mapping the binding and calmodulin-dependent activation of nitric oxide synthase isozymes
Published in The Open Nitric Oxide Journal
February
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2011
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Vol. 3
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Issue #1
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Association of the disordered C-terminus of CDC34 with a catalytically bound ubiquitin
Published in Journal of Molecular Biology
February
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2011
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Vol. 407
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Issue #3
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Codon optimization for enhanced Escherichia coli expression of human S100A11 and S100A1 proteins
Published in Protein Expression and Purification
March
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2010
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Vol. 73
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Issue #1
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Intraprotein electron transfer in inducible nitric oxide synthase holoenzyme
Published in Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry
October
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2009
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Vol. 14
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Issue #1
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FRET conformational analysis of calmodulin binding to nitric oxide synthase peptides and enzymes
Published in Biochemistry
September
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2008
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Vol. 47
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Issue #46
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Regulation of mammalian nitric oxide synthases by electrostatic interactions in the linker region of calmodulin
Published in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Proteins and Proteomics
September
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2008
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Vol. 1784
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Issue #12
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Calcium-deficient calmodulin binding and activation of neuronal and inducible nitric oxide synthases
Published in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Proteins and Proteomics
August
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2007
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Vol. 1774
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Issue #10
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Differential binding of calmodulin domains to constitutive and inducible nitric oxide synthase enzymes
Published in Biochemistry
February
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2007
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Vol. 46
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Issue #28
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Selective labeling of selenomethionine residues in proteins with a fluorescent derivative of benzyl bromide
Published in Analytical Biochemistry
October
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2006
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Vol. 359
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Issue #2
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Binding and activation of nitric oxide synthase isozymes by calmodulin EF hand pairs
Published in The FEBS Journal
February
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2006
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Vol. 273
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Issue #8
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Dual-targeted labeling of proteins using cysteine and selenomethionine residues
Published in Analytical Biochemistry
May
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2005
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Vol. 342
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Issue #2
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Differential activation of nitric-oxide synthase isozymes by calmodulin-troponin C chimeras
Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
May
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2004
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Vol. 279
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Issue #32
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Awards & Grants
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Structure and Mechanism of HERC5-dependent ISGylation
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
May. 1, 2022 - Apr. 30, 2025
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Using Computational Artificial Intelligence for Small Molecule Discovery to Drug the HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases
Atomwise, Inc.
Dec. 1, 2021 - Mar. 31, 2023
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Biochemical and Structural Examination of Proteins Implicated in Human Diseases
ClarkU Faculty Development Fund
Apr. 26, 2021 - Apr. 26, 2022
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Clark University Biochemistry Outreach in Worcester MA: Protein Purification and Science Careers
Protein Society
Feb. 3, 2020 - Feb. 3, 2021
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Dean's Public Intellectuals Program
Dean of the Faculty, Clark University
Jan. 1, 2020 - Dec. 31, 2020
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Structure and Mechanism of HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Sep. 20, 2017 - Aug. 31, 2020
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Biochemistry & Mechanism of HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases
Carl J. and Anna Carlson Endowed Research Chair, Clark University
Aug. 1, 2015 - Aug. 1, 2018
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Open Educational Resources for the Promotion of Academic Excellence, Equity, and College Affordability
Clark University Library Development Grant
May. 2, 2022
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Food Studies Undergraduate Concentration Development
Provost's Academic Innovation Award
Jun. 1, 2022
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Grant Incentive Faculty Award
Clark University
2020
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Carl J. and Anna Carlson Endowed Chair of Chemistry
Clark University
2015
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Career to Curriculum Faculty Fellow
Clark University
2020
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Dean's Public Intellectuals Program
Clark University
2020
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John W. Lund Clark Community Achievement Award
Clark University
2021
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