James Omichinski (UdeM)

(UdeM0Le CERMO-FC et le Pr Laurent Cappadocia ont le plaisir de vous inviter à la présentation du Pr James Omichinski, professeur à l’Université de Montréal. Ses travaux de recherche vous seront présentés par visioconférence le Jeudi 11 novembre 2021 à 12h00. Report au Jeudi 2 décembre

Assister à la conférence en présentiel ?
En raison des mesures sanitaires, les places sont limitées. Pour réserver votre place, merci de communiquer avec cermo-fc@uqam.ca

Portrait du Pr James Omichinski

CERMO-FC and Pr Laurent Cappadocia are pleased to invite you to the presentation of Prof. James Omichinski, professor at Université de Montréal. His research work will be presented to you by videoconference on Thursday, November 11 at 12 noon. Reported to December 2nd

Attend the conference in person?
Due to sanitary measures, places are limited. To reserve your place, please contact cermo-fc@uqam.ca

Portrait of the Pr James Omichinski

Abstract: The organomecurial lyase (MerB) is a bacterial enzyme that degrades methymercury (MeHg+) in the environment through its unique ability to cleave carbon-Hg bonds. Our previous structural and mechanistic studies have established that the HgII product following cleavage of MeHg+ remains bound to the active site in E. coli MerB and is directly transferred to MerA for reduction to Hg0. Recent genomic analysis in our lab indicates that MerA/MerB pairs exhibit functional diversity that appears to correlate with the ecological habitat of the bacteria they originate from. Guided by this bioinformatic analysis, we have started  characterize MerB proteins from organisms that originate from varying ecological habitats. Our initial results indicate that there are multiple ways to transfer the mercury ion product (HgII) from MerB to MerA for reduction to the less toxic elemental mercury (Hg0) and the mechanism for a given organism appears to be in part linked to its environmental niche.

Biography: I obtained a B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Washington. I then did postdoctoral studies at the Statens Institute for Folkehelse in Oslo, Norway and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. I continued at NIH as a staff scientist in the Laboratory of Chemical Physics before moving into a faculty position first at the University of Georgia in the Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, and then at the Université de Montreal in the Department of Biochemistry.

Un évènement organisé dans le cadre des Pause-conférences du CERMO-FC
An event organized as part of the Pause-conférences of CERMO-FC