Ekaterina V. Pletneva
Professor of Chemistry
Research in the Pletneva Group examines redox reactivity of metalloproteins. Our main targets are heme enzymes and electron carriers in energy pathways of bacteria. We aim to understand how coordination environment, protein dynamics, neighboring protonation and redox sites influence reactivity of redox metal ions and how electrons are guided through complex redox circuits on the molecular and regulatory levels. We employ a variety of spectroscopic and structural methods as well as molecular biology to characterize these metalloproteins and their reaction mechanisms. This research informs on fundamental aspects of biological electron transfer and its regulation in energy generation and multielectron catalysis relevant for bacterial fitness and virulence, development of switchable devices for artificial photosynthesis, and optimization of microbial-based strategies to mitigate global warming.
Contact
Department(s)
Chemistry
Education
- M.S. Higher Chemical College of the Russian Academy of Sciences
- Ph.D. Iowa State University
Selected Publications
Stuut Balsam, S., Zhong, F., Pence, N., Levintov, L., Andhare, D., Hammond, J. H., Ragusa, M. J., Vashisth, H., Hogan, D. A., Pletneva, E. V. "Conserved C-Terminal Tail Is Responsible for Membrane Localization and Function of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Hemerythrin" Biochemistry 2024, 63, 1795-1807.
Deng, Y., Carnevale, V., Ditchfield, R., Pletneva, E. V. "Applications of the Newly Developed Force-Field Parameters Uncover a Dynamic Nature of Ω-Loop C in the Lys-Ligated Alkaline Form of Cytochrome c" J. Phys. Chem. B 2024, 128, 5935-5949.
Zhong, F., Reik, M. E., Ragusa, M. J., Pletneva, E. V. "The Structure of the Diheme Cytochrome c4 from Neisseria gonorrhoeae Reveals Multiple Contributors to Tuning Reduction Potentials" J. Inorg. Biochem. 2024, 253,112496.
Zhong, F., Albert, T., Moënne-Loccoz, P., Pletneva, E. V. "Influence of the Interdomain Interface on Structural and Redox Properties of Multiheme Cytochromes" Inorg. Chem. 2022, 61, 20949–20963.