Rebecca Jockusch
Department of Chemistry,
University of Toronto
New Tools and Techniques to Unravel Molecular Puzzles
Abstract: The function of complex molecules such as proteins depends on a delicate balance of intra- and intermolecular interactions. While the complexity of the native environment is desirable for function, isolation of biological molecules from their normal environment provides valuable simplification, enabling study of their intrinsic properties. My research program combines trapping mass spectrometry with optical spectroscopic techniques in order to characterize properties of biomolecules and their complexes in highly-controlled gas-phase micro-environments. The unique instrumentation we have developed adds powerful optical spectroscopic tools to tandem mass spectrometers, including the capability to measure fluorescence emission and Förster (or fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) of gaseous ions. I will highlight recent progress from my laboratory, discussing our insights into the intrinsic properties of a range of biological molecules and how these properties are modulated upon interaction with key binding partners. Together, this work forms a basis from which to better understand how non-covalent interactions, including those with the solvent, affect the properties of molecules ranging in size from small organic dyes to proteins.
Abstract: The function of complex molecules such as proteins depends on a delicate balance of intra- and intermolecular interactions. While the complexity of the native environment is desirable for function, isolation of biological molecules from their normal environment provides valuable simplification, enabling study of their intrinsic properties. My research program combines trapping mass spectrometry with optical spectroscopic techniques in order to characterize properties of biomolecules and their complexes in highly-controlled gas-phase micro-environments. The unique instrumentation we have developed adds powerful optical spectroscopic tools to tandem mass spectrometers, including the capability to measure fluorescence emission and Förster (or fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) of gaseous ions. I will highlight recent progress from my laboratory, discussing our insights into the intrinsic properties of a range of biological molecules and how these properties are modulated upon interaction with key binding partners. Together, this work forms a basis from which to better understand how non-covalent interactions, including those with the solvent, affect the properties of molecules ranging in size from small organic dyes to proteins.
Biography
Rebecca A. Jockusch is an Associate Professor and the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the Chemistry Department at the University of Toronto. She has a B.A. in physics from Carleton College (1993) and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley (2001). In between, she taught English for two years in elementary and junior high schools in Japan. Rebecca pursued post-doctoral studies at Oxford University, where she held a Royal Society USA Research Fellowship and was a Junior Research Fellow at Linacre College. While at University of Toronto, she has held the Canada Research Chair in Biophysical Analytical Chemistry and was the recipient of Early Researcher Awards from the Province of Ontario and from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS). Rebecca served as Secretary and Member of the Board of ASMS from 2013-2015 and has recently joined the editorial board of the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.
Rebecca’s research program employs techniques from chemistry, biology and physics to investigate the properties of biological molecules, both in isolation and in complexes. Factors affecting protein conformation and dynamics, including the role of water in biological systems, are of particular interest. The unique instrumentation developed in her laboratory for these studies combine trapping mass spectrometers with recent advances in technology for laser spectroscopic experiments. Research highlights include the implementation of sensitive fluorescence detection in order to monitor the conformation of biomolecular ions inside a mass spectrometer via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) techniques.
Group website
Rebecca A. Jockusch is an Associate Professor and the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the Chemistry Department at the University of Toronto. She has a B.A. in physics from Carleton College (1993) and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley (2001). In between, she taught English for two years in elementary and junior high schools in Japan. Rebecca pursued post-doctoral studies at Oxford University, where she held a Royal Society USA Research Fellowship and was a Junior Research Fellow at Linacre College. While at University of Toronto, she has held the Canada Research Chair in Biophysical Analytical Chemistry and was the recipient of Early Researcher Awards from the Province of Ontario and from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS). Rebecca served as Secretary and Member of the Board of ASMS from 2013-2015 and has recently joined the editorial board of the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.
Rebecca’s research program employs techniques from chemistry, biology and physics to investigate the properties of biological molecules, both in isolation and in complexes. Factors affecting protein conformation and dynamics, including the role of water in biological systems, are of particular interest. The unique instrumentation developed in her laboratory for these studies combine trapping mass spectrometers with recent advances in technology for laser spectroscopic experiments. Research highlights include the implementation of sensitive fluorescence detection in order to monitor the conformation of biomolecular ions inside a mass spectrometer via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) techniques.
Group website