Research Interests

Macromolecular Interactions and Molecular Recognition

Selected Publications

Kurz, L.C., Fite, B., Jean, J., Park, J., Erpelding, T. and Callis, P. Photophysics of tryptophan fluorescence: Link with the catalytic strategy of the citrate synthase from Thermoplasma acidophilum. Biochem 44:1394-1413 (2005).

Kurz, L.C., Drysdale, G., Riley, M., Tomar, M.A., Chen, J., Russell, R.J.M. and Danson, M.J. Kinetics and Mechanism of the Citrate Synthase from the Thermophilic Archaeon, Thermoplasma acidophilum, Biochemistry 39:2283-2296 (2000).

Gu, Z., Drueckhammer, D.G., Kurz, L., Liu, K., Martin, D.P., and McDermott, A. Mechanism of Condensation Reaction of Citrate Synthase as Studied by Solid State NMR: Protonation States and Hydrogen Bonding Environment in the Binding Site of Acetylcoenzyme A Analog-Citrate Synthase Complexes. Biochemistry 38:8022-8031 (1999).

Deng, H., L.C. Kurz, et al. Characterization of hydrogen bonding in the complex of adenosine deaminase with transition state analogue: a Raman spectroscopic study. Biochemistry 37:4968-4976 (1998).

Kurz, L.C., T. Nakra, et al. Effects of changes in three catalytic residues on the relative stabilities of some of the intermediates and transition states in the citrate synthase reaction. Biochemistry 37:9724-9737 (1998).

Kurz, L. C., Roble, J.H., Nakra, T., et al. Ability of single-site mutants of citrate synthase to catalyze proton transfer from the methyl group of dethiaacetyl-coenzyme A, a non-thioester substrate analog. Biochemistry 36:3981-3990 (1997).