Allen T. Phillips

Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry

 As an emeritus faculty member since 2001, I no longer regularly teach BMB lecture classes but in Spring 2009 I offered a 1-credit course on "Practical Aspects of Enzymology" (BMB 497A) and likely will teach that course again in 2010.   This was the result of an initiative by Provost Erickson to get emeritus faculty involved in teaching; in my case, I was allowed to design my own course based on my belief that most BMB students are in need of additional training in enzymology, particularly in the use of kinetics for multisubstrate reactions, as well as how enzymes are being employed in industry and clinical applications nowadays.  The 2009 class was taken by undergrad and graduate students in BMB, Chemistry, Ag. Engineering and Food Science, hopefully illustrating that students from many areas feel the need for more exposure to enzymes and their properties, especially when approached from a practical standpoint.  In teaching this class, I have had the invaluable assistance of Dr. Lorraine Mulfinger, Assoc. Prof. of Endocrinology at HMC and also associated with the Program in Diabetes and Obesity at Hershey and UP campuses; Dr. Mulfinger brings to the class special expertise in clinical applications that is of great benefit.
 
     I continue to be very involved in research on histidine metabolism and several other projects involving microbial physiology and biochemistry.   BMB or Microbiology majors who might wish to get some research experience as part of their undergraduate training are encouraged to contact me for information on what my research involves and whether there are currently any openings for undergrad researchers in the laboratory; this information is also available through the BMB Department office which coordinates student research interests with faculty research topics.   Below are a few general details that might be of value to those exploring research opportunities.  In recent years we usually have had one WISER student conducting research each semester, and I have supervised Honors thesis research for several Scholars Program students as well as persons simply looking for research experience.  While I do not have assigned advising duties for  BMB undergraduates; if I can be of assistance to anyone needing academic or professional advising, please feel free to call on me.

Research focus:   Enzymology and molecular genetics, particularly concerning histidine metabolism
Usual qualifications needed:   Some knowledge of organic chemistry, biochemistry, and general microbiology

Mutational techniques are valuable tools in the analysis of metabolic pathways and their regulation, as well as for creating altered forms of enzymes and for obtaining modified genetic material to permit cloning for high level gene expression.  Students working in this lab may be involved in construction and selection of mutants blocked in specific steps of histidine degradation.  Characterization of the mutants at the molecular level may involve enzyme activity analysis, molecular biological techniques such as subcloning into a plasmid vector, electrophoresis of restriction enzyme digestion products, and isolation of fragments for DNA sequence analysis.  Also, site-directed mutations may be created to produce other desired mutational changes.  These studies may be coupled with efforts to characterize one or more of the enzymes involved in the histidine utilization pathway.  Currently students are working on urocanase, a mechanistically unique NAD-dependent hydro-lyase, on the catalytic properties of formyl-glutamate amidohydrolase, and on the hut repressor protein which is a DNA-binding protein with unusual sequence recognition properties.    In addition, isolation of pathway intermediates, produced either by chemical synthesis or from blocked mutants, can provide practical experience in the chemical and biochemical properties of histidine metabolites.  In this area, efforts are currently focused on the toxic nature of the intermediate imidazolone propionate (or one of its breakdown products) and by what mechanism does this material produce its toxicity on cell growth when it is unable to be metabolized due to absence of the imidazolone propionate hydrolase.
 

Last modified: Monday, 28 October-09 14:10:16 EDT