Cecilia Tommos, Ph.D.
Cecilia Tommos, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Department: Biochemistry and Biophysics
Graduate Group Affiliations
Contact information
905 Stellar-Chance Laboratories
Phildelphia, PA 19104-6059
Phildelphia, PA 19104-6059
Office: 215-746-2444
Fax: 215-573-7290
Fax: 215-573-7290
Email:
tommos@mail.med.upenn.edu
tommos@mail.med.upenn.edu
Links
University of Pennsylvania, BMB Graduate Group faculty website
University of Pennsylvania faculty website
University of Pennsylvania, BMB Graduate Group faculty website
University of Pennsylvania faculty website
Education:
B.S. (Chemistry)
Stockholm University, 1992.
Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Stockholm University, 1997.
Permanent linkB.S. (Chemistry)
Stockholm University, 1992.
Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Stockholm University, 1997.
Description of Research Expertise
Amino-acid radicals represent key components in biological processes ranging from energy transduction to carcinogenesis and, yet, little is known about the thermodynamic and mechanistic properties of these species. This situation reflects the simple fact that the characteristically reactive and thermodynamically hot radical state is highly challenging to study in the natural systems. We have created a model protein system specifically made to facilitate structural, electrochemical and mechanistic studies of tyrosine and tryptophan radicals. Using this system we aim to systematically characterize the proton-coupled electron transfer reactions of amino-acid radicals as a function of structural motifs in the protein environment.Selected Publications
Melissa C. Martínez-Rivera, Bruce W. Berry, Kathleen G. Valentine, Kristina Westerlund, Sam Hay, and Cecilia Tommos: Electrochemical and Structural Properties of a Protein System Designed To Generate Tyrosine Pourbaix Diagrams. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133: 17786-17795, 2011.K. Westerlund, S.D. Moran, H.K. Privett, S. Hay, J. Jarvet, B.R. Gibney and C. Tommos: Making a Single-Chain Four-Helix Bundle for Redox Chemistry Studies. Prot. Eng. Des. & Sel. 21: 645-652, 2008.
B.W. Berry, M.M. Elvekrog and C. Tommos: Environmental Modulation of Protein Cation-π Interactions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129: 5308–5309, 2007.
S. Hay, K. Westerlund and C. Tommos: Redox Characteristics of a De Novo Quinone Protein. J. Phys. Chem. B 111: 3488–3495, 2007.
S. Hay, K. Westerlund, B.W. Berry and C. Tommos : Redox Properties of Tryptophan and Tyrosine: Effects of the Protein Matrix. Twelfth International Conference on Bioinorganic Chemistry 2005.
G.M. Skubick, S.D. Moran, C. Tommos and B.R. Gibney: Design, biological expression, and metal binding studies of alpha W-4-IGA. Am. Chem. Soc. 229: U477-U478, 2005.
K. Westerlund, B.W. Berry, H. Privett and C. Tommos: Exploring Amino-Acid Radical Chemistry: Protein Engineering and De Novo Design. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1707: 103–116, 2005.
B.R. Gibney and C. Tommos: De Novo Protein Design. Photosystem II - The light-driven water: plastoquinone oxidoreductase. T. Wydrzynski and K. Satoh (eds.). Springer, Dordrecht, 2005.
S. Hay, K. Westerlund and C. Tommos: Moving a Phenol Hydroxyl Group from the Surface to the Interior of a Protein: Effects on the Phenol Potential and pKA. Biochemistry 44: 11891-11902, 2005.
Peterson, R.W., K. Anbalagan, C. Tommos and A.J. Wand: Forced Folding and Structural Analysis of Metastable Proteins. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126: 9498–9499, 2004.