Pamela Focia

Research Assistant Professor, Molecular Pharmacology & Biological Chemistry

Structural Biology Facility Manager, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

focia at northwestern.edu

phone: 312-503-0848

Publications:

(2006)

Joseph Gawronski-Salerno, Pamela J. Focia, John S. Coon V. & Douglas M. Freymann "X-ray structure of the T. aquaticus FtsY:GDP complex suggests functional roles for the C-terminal helix of the SRP GTPases"  Proteins  In Press

Focia, P.J., Gawronski-Salerno, J., Coon, J.S. V, & Freymann, D.M.  'Structure of a GDPAlF4 complex of the SRP GTPases Ffh and FtsY, and identification of a peripheral nucleotide interaction site', J. Mol Biol. In Press

(2005)

Lenaeus MJ, Vamvouka M, Focia PJ, Gross A. "Structural basis of TEA blockade in a model potassium channel"  Nat Struct Mol Biol. 12: 454-9.

(2004)

Focia P.J., Alam H., Lu T., Ramirez U.D., Freymann D.M. 'Novel protein and Mg2+ configurations in the Mg2+GDP complex of the SRP GTPase Ffh' Proteins 54: 222-230.

Canyuk, B., Medrano, F. J., Wenck, M.A., Focia, P.J., Eakin, A.E. & Craig, S.P.III  ‘Interactions at the dimer interface influence the relative efficiencies for purine salvage and pyrophosphorolysis in a phosphoribosyltransferase’ J Mol Biol 23: 905-921.

Focia P.J., Shepotinovskaya I.V., Seidler J.A., Freymann D.M. 'Heterodimeric GTPase core of the SRP targeting complex' Science 303:373-377.

(2003)

Velentza, A.V., Wainwright, M. S., Zasadzki, M., Mirzoeva, S., Schumacher, A.M., Haiech, J., Focia, P. J., Egli, M. and Watterson, D.M. ’An aminopyridazine-based inhibitor of a pro-apoptotic protein kinase attenuates hypoxia-ischemia induced acute brain injury’ Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 13: 3465-3470.

Shepotinovskaya IV, Focia PJ, Freymann DM. "Crystallization of the GMPPCP complex of the NG domains of Thermus aquaticus Ffh and FtsY"  Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 59:1834-7.

Morandi F, Caselli E, Morandi S, Focia PJ, Blazquez J, Shoichet BK, Prati F. "Nanomolar inhibitors of AmpC b-lactamase" Journal of the American Chemical Society 125: 685-695.

(2002)

Beadle BM, Trehan I, Focia PJ, Shoichet BK. "Structural milestones in the reaction pathway of an amide hydrolase: substrate, acyl, and product complexes of cephalothin with AmpC Beta-lactamase"  Structure 10: 413-424.  

Ramirez UD, Minasov G, Focia PJ, Stroud RM, Walter P, Kuhn P, Freymann DM. "Structural basis for mobility in the 1.1 Å crystal structure of the NG domain of Thermus aquaticus Ffh"  J Mol Biol. 320:783-99.

(2001)

Powers, R. A., Caselli, E., Focia, P. J., Prati, F., Shoichet, B. K.  ‘Structures of Ceftazidime and Its Transition-State Analogue in Complex with AmpC beta-Lactamase: Implications for Resistance Mutations and Inhibitor Design’ Biochemistry  40,  9207-9214

Canyuk, B., Focia, P.J.  & Eakin, A.E.  'The role for an invariant aspartic acid in hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferases is examined using saturation mutagenesis, functional analysis, and X-ray crystallography'   Biochemistry 40, 2754-2765.

(2000)

Freymann, D.M., Wenck, M.A., Engel, J.C., Feng, J., Focia, P.J., Eakin, A.E., & Craig, S.P.III  ‘Efficient identification of lead inhibitors targeting the closed active site conformation of the HPRT from Trypanosoma cruzi’  Chemistry & Biology  7, 957-968.

(1999)

Balendiran, G.K., Molina, J.A., Xu, Y., Torres-Martinez, J., Stevens, R.,  Focia, P.J., Eakin, A.E., Sacchettini, J.C. and Craig, S.P. III. 'Ternary complex structure of human HGPRTase, PRPP, Mg2+, and the inhibitor HPP reveals the involvement of the flexible loop in substrate binding.'   Protein Science  8, 1023-1031.

(1998)

Focia, P.J. , Craig III, S.P., Eakin, A.E.  'Approaching the transition state in the crystal structure of a phosphoribosyltransferase'.   Biochemistry  37, 17120-17127.

Focia, P.J. , Craig III, S.P., Nieves, R.J., Fletterick, R.J., Eakin, A.E.  'The 1. 4 Å crystal structure of the Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase from Trypanosoma cruzi.'    Biochemistry  37 15066-15075.

Nieves-Alicea, R.J., Focia, P.J., Craig III, S. P., &  Eakin, A.E. 'Limited proteolysis of a phosphoribosyltransferase yields crystals that diffract to near atomic resolution.'   Biochim Biophys Acta 1388, 500-505.

(1997)

Eakin, A.E., Guerra, A., Focia, P.J., Fletterick, R.J. &  S.P. Craig III. 'Kinetic analysis of purine binding and crystallization of the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl-transferase from Trypanosoma cruzi.'  Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy  41, 1686-1692.

Craig III,S.P., Focia, P.J., & Fletterick, R.J.    'Substitution of lysine for arginine at position 199 of a hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase interferes with binding of the primary substrate to the active site'  Biochim Biophys Acta  1339, 1-3.

(1996)

Somoza, J.R., Chin, M.S., Focia, P.J., Wang, C.C. & Fletterick, R.J.  'Crystal Structure of the Hypoxanthine-Guanine-Xanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase from the protozoan parasite Tritrichomonas foetus.'  Biochemistry  35, 7032-7040.

(1995)

Kanaaneh, J., Maltby, D., Focia, P.J., & Wang, C.C.  'Identification of the Active Sites of  Human and Schistosomal Hypoxanthine-Guanine Phosphoribosyl-transferases by  GMP-2',3'-dialdehyde Affinity Labeling'   Biochemistry  34, 14987-14996.

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