Molecular Interactions in Chemical and Biological Systems
Molecular interactions are of key importance to many chemical and biological processes such as protein folding and function, peptide aggregation, enzymatic reactions, or the stabilization of reactive species, to name but a few. Intermolecular interactions between solvent (water in most cases of biological relevance) and solute molecules determine the aggregation of proteins into fibrils, enzyme catalysis, and other biological processes. In our group we use state of the art computational tools and the construction of new models of complex systems to investigate molecular interactions of proteins, organic molecules, solvents, co-solvents and lipid bilayers. The focus of our research is to explore the properties, reactivity, and applications of complex systems consisting of a large number of interacting molecules.
Dr. Elsa Sanchez Garcia
- since 2010
- Nachwuchsgruppenleiterin at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (Liebig Stipendium des Fonds der Chemischen Industrie)
- 2008-2010
- Postdoc at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (W. Thiel)
- 2006-2008
- Postdoc, Ruhr University Bochum; Assistentin im Chemiepraktikum für Medizin- und Biologiestudenten
- 2006
- Dr. rer. nat., University of Bochum (M. Havenith-Newen)
- 2002
- Research Scientist, Max Planck Institute für Strahlenchemie (now Max Planck Institute für Bioanorganische Chemie) (S. Braslavsky)
- 2002
- Ph.D studies at the Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (L.A. Montero) at the University of Havana
- 1999-2002
- Junior teacher of General Chemistry and Quantum Chemistry at the University of Havana
- 1999
- Diploma of Chemistry at the University of Havana
- 1976
- Born in Havana, Cuba
- 2011
- Member of the Global Young Faculty
- 2010
- Liebig-Stipendium, Fonds der Chemischen Industrie
- 2008
- Forschungsstipendium, MPI für Kohlenforschung
- 2006
- Book Prize of the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bochum
- 2006
- PhD with Summa cum laude (mit Auszeichnung), University of Bochum, Germany
- 2002
- Award of a Scholarship of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)
- 2000
- Award in the category of "Best Novel Lecturer (Reserva Científica)". Faculty of Chemistry, University of Havana
- 1999
- Best graduated student of the University of Havana
- 1999
- Summa cum laude Diploma, University of Havana
- 1999
- Best graduated student of Chemistry
- 2013
Bier, David; Rose, Rolf; Bravo-Rodriguez, Kenny; Bartel, Maria; Ramirez-Anguita, Juan Manuel; Dutt, Som; Wilch, C.; Klärner, Frank; Sanchez-Garcia, Elsa*; Schrader, Thomas* and Ottmann, Christian*. “Molecular tweezers modulate 14-3-3 protein-protein interactions”, Nature Chemistry (2013), 5, 234-239.
Sundermann, Uschi; Bravo-Rodriguez, Kenny; Klopries, Stephan; Kushnir, Susanna; Gomez, Hansel; Sanchez-Garcia, Elsa* and Schulz, Frank*. “Enzyme-Directed Mutasynthesis: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Approach to Substrate Recognition of a Polyketide Synthase” ACS Chemical Biology (2013), 8, 443−450.
- 2012
Crespo-Otero, Rachel; Bravo-Rodriguez, Kenny; Roy, Saonli; Benighaus Tobias; Thiel, Walter; Sander, Wolfram and Sanchez-Garcia, Elsa* “Interactions of Aromatic Radicals with Water” accepted for publication at ChemPhysChem, special issue (2012), DOI: 210.1002/cphc.201200840.
Crespo-Otero, Rachel; Mardyukov, Artur Sánchez-García, Elsa; Barbatti, Mario and Sander, Wolfram "Photochemistry of N-Methylformamide: Matrix Isolation and Nonadiabatics Dynamics”, ChemPhysChem, special issue (2012), DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201200573
Sander, Wolfram*; Roy, Saonli; Polyak, Iakov Ramirez-Anguita, Juan Manuel and Sanchez-Garcia, Elsa*. “The Phenoxyl Radical−Water Complex – A Matrix Isolation and Computational Study”. J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2012), 134, 8222−8230.Sánchez-García, Elsa* and Jansen, Georg* “Competition between H•••π and H•••O Interactions in Furan Heterodimers”. Journal of Physical Chemistry A (2012), 116 (23), 5689–5697.
Hernández-Rodríguez, Erix Wiliam; Sánchez-García, Elsa*; Crespo-Otero, Rachel; Montero Alejo, Ana Lilian; Montero, Luis Alberto; Thiel, Walter. “Understanding Rhodopsin Mutations Linked to the Retinitis Pigmentosa Disease: A QM/MM and DFT/MRCI Study” Journal of Physical Chemistry B (2012), 116, 1060-76.
- 2011
Metzelthin, Anja; Sánchez-García, Elsa; Birer, Özgür; Schwaab, Gerhard; Thiel, Walter; Sander, Wolfram and Havenith, Martina. "Acetylene•••Furan Trimer Formation at 0.37 K as a Model for Ultracold Aggregation of Non- and Weakly Polar Molecules"
ChemPhysChem (2011), DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201001040.
- 2010
Hsiao, Ya-Wen; Sánchez-García, Elsa; Doerr, Markus; Thiel, Walter. “Quantum Refinement of Protein Structures: Implementation and Application to the Red Fluorescent Protein DsRed.M1”, Journal of Physical Chemistry B (2010) , 114, 15413 - 15423.
Mardyukov, Artur; Crespo-Otero, Rachel; Sánchez-García, Elsa; Sander, Wolfram. “Photochemistry and Reactivity of the Phenyl Radical – Water System: A Matrix Isolation and Computational Study”, Chemistry – A European Journal (2010), 16 (29), 8679–8689.
Research Topics
- Molecular interactions in peptides and proteins
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Molecular interactions in peptides and proteins
Amyloidogenic peptides are systems of high biological and medical relevance. For instance, the islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is involved in the development of type-II diabetes mellitus. The amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) has been identified as a causative agent in Alzheimer disease (AD). Aβ40 and Aβ42 are the most common forms, Aβ42 being the most fibrillogenic and neurotoxic. The principal toxic species in AD are the soluble oligomeric aggregates of Aβ; therefore the search of oligomerization inhibitors agents is one of the targets of therapeutical intervention against AD and other amyloid diseases. We use molecular dynamics (MD), QM/MD, and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) techniques to investigate the aggregation of amyloidogenic peptides and proteins and their interactions with several inhibitors of oligomerization. Solvents and lipid bilayers are explicitly treated.
Cyclic polypeptides containing a photocleavable disulfide (S-S) bridge are model systems for the study of the dynamical conformational changes that convert a polypeptide chain into a three-dimensional protein structure. The interactions between the peptides and various solvents results in drastic conformational changes that are not well understood. In addition, conformational changes that result from the S-S photocleavage are investigated.
- Reactive and unusual species
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Reactive and unusual species
The concept of hydrogen bonding in open-shell complexes has gained relevance during the last years, but still it is much less investigated in comparison to the hydrogen bond in closed shell and ionic systems. Non-covalent interactions between the phenyl radical and water are of special interest since hydrogen bonds involving the singly occupied molecular orbitals (SOMOs) of the radical might play a role in hydrogen transfer reactions.
The phenyl radical is a reactive intermediate of fundamental importance to organic chemistry. It has been shown to play a key role in the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels to produce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and soot. It has also been discussed as an intermediate in the chemistry of the interstellar medium, especially for the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and in tropospheric chemistry.
We study complexes between various radicals and water. Of special interest is the structure and reactivity of the non-covalent complexes formed during this aggregation.
- Photoreceptors: fluorescent proteins, rhodopsin
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Photoreceptors: fluorescent proteins, rhodopsin
Rhodopsin is the visual pigment in rods and a heptahelical transmembrane receptor protein expressed in the retina. Mutations affecting rhodopsin can lead to loss of the outer field of vision. Over 120 point mutations have been discovered in the rhodopsin gene. We study the effect of mutations on the structural and spectroscopic properties of bovine and human rhodopsin models including the effect of the solvent and lipid bilayers.
Fluorescent proteins are very much used in molecular biology and biomedical research. Similar to green fluorescent protein (GFP), in the red fluorescent proteins (RFP) the chromophore is formed autocatalytically from the Gln66-Tyr67-Gly68 peptide in the presence of molecular oxygen. This reaction is commonly assumed to pass through a GFP-like green chromophore with a trans-peptide bond between Phe65 and Gln66. This is followed by a so-called maturation step that yields the DsRed chromophore with a cis-acylimine group between Phe65 and Gln66, which extends the conjugation of the system and thus causes a red shift compared to GFP. We use QM/MM, QM/MM - MD, and MRCI methods, among others, to investigate the structural, mechanistic and spectroscopic features of RFPs
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Bravo Rodriguez, Kenny
+49(0)208/306-2160
kenny((atsign))kofo.mpg.de
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Dr. Ramirez Anguita, Juan Manuel
jramirez((atsign))inim.es
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Dr. Sanchez Garcia, Elsa
+49(0)208/306-2167
esanchez((atsign))kofo.mpg.de
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RUB Solvation Science
